How to Read Plastic Recycling Numbers 1 to 7

If you've ever flipped over a yoghurt pot or a shampoo bottle and spotted a small triangle of chasing arrows with a number inside, you're looking at a plastic resin identification code. These numbers run from 1 to 7 and were designed to tell manufacturers and recyclers what type of plastic an item is made from. The crucial thing to understand is that the triangle does not mean the item is recyclable in your area. It's a materials label, not a promise. Knowing what each number means helps you make better sense of what actually belongs in your yellow kerbside bin.

Number 1 is PET or PETE, the clear plastic used for drink bottles, fizzy drink bottles and many food trays. Number 2 is HDPE, a tougher plastic found in milk bottles, cleaning product bottles and shampoo containers. These two are the most widely accepted plastics across New Zealand, and under the new standardised kerbside collection rules, bottles and containers made from grades 1, 2 and 5 are the ones councils collect nationwide. Number 5 is PP, polypropylene, used for ice cream containers, margarine tubs and many takeaway containers.

The remaining numbers are trickier. Number 3 is PVC, found in some pipes, cling film and blister packaging. Number 4 is LDPE, the soft, flexible plastic used in bread bags, bin liners and squeezable bottles. Number 6 is PS, polystyrene, which covers both rigid plastics like disposable cutlery and the foam used in meat trays and packaging. Number 7 is a catch-all 'other' category for mixed or less common plastics, including compostable bioplastics. As a general rule in Aotearoa, plastics marked 3, 4, 6 and 7 are not accepted in most kerbside recycling and should go in your red general waste bin unless you have a specific alternative.

To get it right, start by checking the shape as well as the number. The standardised system focuses on bottles, jars, containers and trays made from grades 1, 2 and 5. Give them a quick rinse, leave the lids off (small lids are too small to sort and are best kept out), and pop them loose into the yellow bin rather than bagged. Avoid wishcycling, which is tossing in anything you hope might be recyclable, because contamination can send whole truckloads to landfill.

Soft plastics are a special case. Bread bags, chip packets, bubble wrap and similar films are grade 4 and sometimes 2, but they tangle in sorting machinery, so they never go in the kerbside bin. Instead, collect them at home and drop them off at a participating Soft Plastics Recycling scheme bin, often found at supermarkets and some retailers. Polystyrene foam and most number 7 items, including many so-called compostable plastics, generally have no kerbside pathway and belong in general waste unless your council or a local scheme says otherwise.

The simplest takeaway is this: treat the number as a clue, not a green light. In most parts of New Zealand, rinse and recycle bottles and containers numbered 1, 2 and 5, keep soft plastics for the store drop-off scheme, and put grades 3, 6, 7 and polystyrene in the rubbish. Because the fine print still varies from region to region, it always pays to check your local council website for the exact list of what your area accepts.