Can I recycle plastic spray bottles?
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Many housecleaning products come in plastic bottles with a nozzle, sprayer or pump mechanism. The main body of the bottle is usually made from high-density polyethylene, which can be recycled. The spray mechanism, however, can be constructed from different materials -- often a metal spring housed inside plastic.
Mixed materials often cannot be recycled, but in the city of Los Angeles, the bottle and the spray top can be recycled in the blue bin. The bottle and the sprayer do not need to be separated because they are ground up in processing. Policies and recommendations can vary from city to city, so each week we ask a sampling of officials from various municipalities to weigh in. Can you recycle spray bottle tops in ...
Burbank: Not curbside. They can be placed in the mixed plastics bin at the Burbank Recycle Center.
Irvine: No.
Long Beach: No.
Los Angeles: Yes.
Riverside: Yes.
Santa Ana: No.
Santa Monica: Yes.
Torrance: Yes.
Unincorporated L.A. County: Only if the sprayer does not contain a metal spring.
Ventura: No.
-- Susan Carpenter
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