Unalaska’s plastic recycling program is up and running again, but with a few changes. The plastic bin was shut down for a few weeks this summer due to excessive trash. Margo Peters runs the recycling program with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. They’re the ones who were sorting through trash to pull out recyclables.  

"About a third of the plastic was garbage," said Peters. "People were just throwing their garbage into the plastic bin."

After a little research, Peters was able to reopen the plastic bin with a simplified program due to recent changes in the global recycling market. China is no longer accepting plastics 4 through 7, so residents of Unalaska are not able to send those out to companies in the lower 48 that had been taking them.

The current recycling program allows for aluminum, and number #1 and #2 plastics. Those include things like water bottles, milk jugs, and some laundry detergents. It does get tricky with some misleading labels.

"Things like those little plastic containers you get your salad in, even though it says it’s number one, it’s different somehow and that’s not the same type of number one," said Peters.

Peters says a good rule of thumb is that plastic containers with a neck can be recycled. In the coming weeks, Peters is looking into turning a container van into a receptacle. It will have specially cut holes for different types of materials.  For now, it’s just aluminum and number 1 and 2 plastic. Peters wants to eventually find a way to recycle glass and the other types of plastic.  The city provides a place for recycling at the landfill and help with bundling.  Horizon Lines has offered to ship out the recyclables.