Hi everyone.. Granite grrl is correct. You can find out the proper plastics to put in your recycling box, by checking wth your recycling service provider. For example if you live in home, and the /city collects it check them. If you live in a condo, sometimes the service is managed by your condo corp's contractor, and of course your place iof business may have a different provider.

If you live in Toronto the source is found of of this page. http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/index.htm

Perhaps everyone can put their town/ city's source on here for easy reference.

Further to CPM440V's comment, the "number" is to indicate a type of plastic, but that's not the whole story. The same plastic can be formed by different process, ie blow moulding, injection moulding and this also plays with the ability to recycle the plastic. In the past, Toronto, specified #1 and #2 but went further with narrow mouthed containers which would indicate blow moulding ( I think). Less of the number's are stressed now because there is alot of confusion, and who really can make out those little symbols now.. (I'm getting old). More often is the case that we would specify the type like a bottle, or a tub.
Although you are correct in saying the plastics will be sorted, the "sorters" have little input into the Recycling process. Any residue plastic is sent to landfill, but essentially this residue has been trucked, handled and retrucked, hence increasing the environmental impact of the disposal of this plastic.

Proper source separation is always the key to cost effective recycling. Too much contamination of the recycling stream may warrant straight disposal into landfill. Of course, if everyone source separated properly, then there would be less work for the sorters. Sorry to any sorters reading this.

I have to finish this by asking everyone to think hard about purchasing the plastic item in the first place. Most of the food container plastic is not a recycled content container.. (I believe there is a regulation about this), and there may be little real choice in the purchase, for example Margarine but perhaps you can buy the product that you can recycle after its empty.

Aside from food containers, perhaps there are alternatively packaged item. Some people even return packaging to the place of purchase, as a message to the retailers, who do have the input into the packaging process. Ikea willingly takes back its cardboard and plastic packaging for recycling.

oh and of course, try to bring your own cloth or plastic bag instead of getting a brand new grocery bag everytime.