by Debby Dunn, Public Outreach Coordinator, San Francisco Recycling Program

One of the most frequently asked questions by San Francisco residents is, "Why can some plastics be recycled and not others?"
The simple answer is that today's plastic products are made from about 200 different types of plastics, and only a couple are easily recyclable.

Plastics Recyclable in the Curbside Program:

*#1 plastic bottles (PET or PETE see-through plastic) these include: water bottles, soda bottles, catsup bottles, etc.

*#2 plastic bottles (HDPE: cloudy or colored plastic) milk jugs (the paper cartons are NOT recyclable), juice jugs and bottles, shampoo bottles, detergent bottles, some vitamin bottles, etc.

*The base must be wider than the mouth (aka: a "bottleneck"), in order for the plastic container to be recyclable.
Helpful Hints to Successful Recycling:

*Yogurt and margarine tubs (#2) are not recyclable. Clear "to go" tubs (#1) are also not recyclable. These items are made from a different type of plastic resin and do not melt at the same temperature as the bottleneck plastics. They can however, be donated to nursery schools and kindergarten classes for arts and crafts, or can be used for storage.

*Flatten large plastic bottles to save space in your blue bin and the recycling truck.

*Empty motor oil and pesticide #1 and #2 plastics are now accepted in curbside recycling.

*#3 through #7 plastics are not recyclable in San Francisco's curbside program because markets are not available to easily recycle them. To help promote markets, please call the American Plastics Council at (800) 243-5790 and tell them you want to be able to buy plastics that are easily recyclable.

*If you have the choice between a non-recyclable plastic and an alternative recyclable material (like glass), choose the recyclable material. If there is no alternative to a product packaged in non-recyclable plastic, and the manufacturer has an 800 number listed on the product, call and express your preference for a recyclable container.

*Other items that can also be recycled in your blue bin or container are: tin/steel cans (with lids), aluminum cans, foil and pie tins, glass jars and bottles (clear and colored--no need to remove labels), empty metal paint and aerosol cans.

Background:

Plastic products are made from plastic resins, which are derived from petroleum in a chemical process. One-third of all plastic is used for items with a lifespan of less than one year. We now use more than 1 billion barrels of oil a year just to make plastics. The largest single use for plastic is for packaging, with a significant percentage being used for "convenience" packaging. In fact, we now spend more for packaging our food than farmers receive in net income.

Of the 200 different types of plastics used today, most consumer products made from plastic have been consolidated into one of six different categories. The first six categories, #1 (PET or PETE), #2 (HDPE), #3 (PVC), #4 (LDPE), #5 (PP), and #6 (PS), are all manufactured using different processes and cannot easily be mixed together and recycled. For example, if one #3 shampoo bottle is included with a load of #1 soda bottles, it could contaminate the whole load (kind of like mixing oil and vinegar) and make it unrecyclable.

The Society for the Plastics Industry created a #1 through #7 (7's are any type of plastic not falling into the first six categories) labeling system designed to identify and recycle the different types of plastic resins. While most plastics are technically recyclable, the recycling infrastructure for plastics is in its infancy. Less than 5-percent of the 40 billion pounds of plastic produced every year are actually recycled.

And, although plastics made up a minute percentage of the waste stream in 1960, they are now the fastest growing sector of the waste stream. Plastics presently take up more than 25 percent of the volume of material sent to landfills every year, and this will escalate to one-third of all discards within fifteen years, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates.

As a result of this low recycling rate, and lack of recycling facilities for plastic, environmentalists and recyclers have been pressuring the plastics industry to change their recycling symbols, arguing that the symbols mislead the public into believing that plastics are easily recyclable. To have your say, call the American Plastics Council at (800) 243-5790.

I am the new Public Outreach Coordinator for the San Francisco Recycling Program. If you have questions or article ideas that you'd like to see in coming issues, please call (415) 554-3400 or e-mail "sfrecycle@ci.sf.ca.us". I look forward to hearing from you!

Competition with Oakland in Great Sweep IV

by Mayor Willie L. Brown

As mayor and long-time resident of our internationally renowned city, I have written you many times about the beautification of our neighborhoods. From DPW graffiti-removal projects, the Adopt-A-Block initiative and the San Francisco Neighborhood Beautification Fund we in City Hall strive to develop innovative and effective programs to build upon our already beautiful city.

This time, however, I write not merely about keeping San Francisco beautiful, but present all of you with an undoubtedly arduous challenge: Beat Oakland at the next Great Sweep!

On May 15, 1999 starting at 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, Mayor Jerry Brown of Oakland and I will be competing for the coveted title of "Mayor of the Cleanest and Greenest City in the Bay." This half-day event will take the energy and hard work of all of the residents and businesses of San Francisco in order to show Oakland who takes more pride in their city.

Backed by supporters such as ex-49er Roger Craig and Olympic Gold Medalist Jonny Mosely, corporate sponsors including The Gap, Walgreens, Chevron, Burger King and Norcal Waste Systems, PG & E, Parsons, Alhambra, Men's Wearhouse, Clorox and UPS 76 have also stepped forward with financial support to show Oakland who is more serious in keeping their city clean.

That is where you, the residents of San Francisco, come in. The past Great Sweeps have been truly amazing community events. I have met over 10,000 of you as we swept, cleaned and steamed the sidewalks, streets and parks of our city. The Great Sweep IV will yet again give us the opportunity to show our dedication and loyalty to the place we all call home. In the past, we have collected over 100,000 pounds of garbage in neighborhoods all around The City. This year, 85 sites will work in tandem for the coveted Great Sweep IV trophy. I hope to see all of you there!

For more information, contact the Great Sweep IV Volunteer Reporting Sites: SFFD Fire Station at 1298 Girard Street, phone: 558-3244; Southeast Community Facility at 1800 Oakdale, phone: 821-1534;SFFD Fire Station at 195 Park St., phone: 558-3232; Community Health Network at 2789 5th St.; SFFD Fire Station at 1325 Leavenworth, phone: 558-3241; Washington High School at 600 32nd Ave.; SFFD Fire Station at 1301 Turk St., phone: 558-3205; SFFD Fire Station at 100 Hoffman Ave., phone: 558-3224; Taraval Police Station 2345 24th St., phone: 553-1612; SFFD Fire Station #15 at 1000 Ocean Ave.

For more information, you can also log-in to the Department of Public Works' website at http://www.sfdpw.com/ or call the hotline at 554-5447 to volunteer.

Five Years Ago in the Grapevine

MAY 1994

*Both staff and principal at Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS) appealed a U.S. District Court judge's decision to reconstitute the school beginning with the Fall 1994 semester.

*Valley residents spent a Saturday in an afternoon meeting of the Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT).

*Firefighters and police rushed to the scene of a smoky afternoon fire Mar. 31 which damaged the rear of the Rose Olivet Baptist Church on Bayshore Boulevard.

*Students at Wilson High School were presented with many career choices during the school's annual Career Day.

*Visitacion Valley Community Center (VVCC) appealed to the neighborhood for volunteers to help organize youth-oriented clubs.

*Three students from Visitacion Valley Elementary School (VVES) received awards in a Women's History Poster and Essay Contest sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW).

*Straight Talk with Valley organization Girls Against Gangs began its monthly television broadcast on Viacom Cable Channel 53.

*Captain Michael Dower became the newly appointed commander of the Ingleside Police District.

*Little Hollywood Association met with both S.F. Park and Recreation and Norcal to discuss lighting for Little Hollywood Park.

Historic Proportions

Match clues to answers.

1978
1. New federal law on Oct. 26 involves legislators, judges and members of the executive branch .
2. First of these produced on Apr. 10 in America.
3. World Series champs again on Oct. 17.
4. Popular new show had viewers staying home on Friday nights.
5. Muhammad Ali regained boxing title from him on Sept. 17 after losing it Feb. 15.
6. Iraq threw him out of the country on Oct. 6.
7. Horror on Nov. 27 as Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated here by an enraged former city official.
8. Winners of Super Bowl XII on Jan. 15.
9. Birth was a first on July 25.
10. He died on Sept. 30 after only one month at his post.
11. Landmark vote for property tax reform on June 6.
12. Best Film at Academy Awards on Apr. 6.
13. They won the NBA title on June 7.
14. Famous newspaper closed its doors on Mar. 4.
15. Three Americans were first to cross Atlantic Ocean with this on Aug. 17.
16. Mass suicide involved 909 people here on Nov. 29.
17. He became known as the new Superman.
18. U.S. Senate voted Apr. 18 to relinquish control of this in 1999.

A. Christopher Reeve
B. Dallas Cowboys
C. Proposition 13
D. Jonestown
E. Test tube baby
F. San Francisco City Hall
G. Volkswagen
H. Pope John Paul I
I. Chicago Daily News
J. Baltimore Bullets
K. Leon Spinks
L. Panama Canal
M. New York Yankees
N. Balloon
O. Ayatollah Khomeini
P. Government Ethics Law
Q. Annie Hall
R. Dallas

Answers: 1-P ; 2-G; 3-M; 4-R; 5-K; 6-O; 7-F; 8-B; 9-E; 10-H; 11-C; 12-Q; 13-J; 14-I; 15-N; 16-D; 17-A; 18-L.

Sez Who?

Match quotes to speakers.

1. "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to."
2. "Knowing what you can not do is more important than knowing what you can do."
3. "On the outskirts od every agony sits some observant fellow who points."
4. "I don't care what anybody says about me as long as it isn't true."
5. A government which robs from Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
6. "We boil at different degrees."
7. "The best is the enemy of the good."
8. "Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government."
9. "In the end, you're measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish."

A. Virginia Woolf
B. George Bernard Shaw
C. Mark Twain
D. Voltaire
E. Lucille Ball
F. Donald Trump
G. Ralph Waldo Emerson
H. Truman Capote
I. George Washington

Answers: 1-C; 2-E; 3-A; 4-H; 5-B; 6-G; 7-D; 8-I; 9-F.