Recycling Mystery: Black-Colored Plastic

"Black plastic gets its color from carbon black pigment and is commonly used in food containers, such as meat or produce trays and take-out containers, as well as disposable coffee lids, plastic bags, and hard plastic items like DVD cases and planters. While plastic is one of the categories of things that we are encouraged to recycle - when we can't reuse or repurpose it - not all black plastic items can be recycled."

"Some black plastic is made from electronic waste, which can contain toxic materials. This is a problem if the recycled plastic is used for food containers. A 2024 study in Chemosphere by Toxic-Free Future found flame retardants, including the banned chemical deca-BDE, in 85% of tested black plastic household items like kitchen utensils, sushi trays, and toys. These chemicals are linked to cancer, hormone problems, and developmental harm in children exposed through their mothers."

Black plastic derives its color from carbon black pigment and appears in meat and produce trays, take-out containers, disposable coffee lids, plastic bags, and hard goods like DVD cases and planters. Not all black plastic items can be recycled. Clear and light-colored plastics are more valuable because they can be reprocessed into many colors, while black plastic can typically only be recycled into other black items, lowering batch value. Some black plastic comes from electronic waste and can contain toxic flame retardants such as deca-BDE, found in a high proportion of tested household items. Carbon black pigment absorbs near-infrared light, which prevents most optical sorting machines from detecting black items and forces manual sorting, increasing labor and cost. Recycling rules vary by location; consult local waste authorities and leave uncertain items out of recycling bins.

Read at Earth911