Q Why can't we recycle plastics other than bottles and containers? Why can't we recycle old plastic toys, plastic hangers and yogurt or margarine containers? It seems like such a waste to just throw these and other plastic items into the garbage.

A All plastic is potentially recyclable. The reality is, however, that most plastic isn't recycled.

Not all plastic can be turned into other products easily or economically. Recycling works when products we throw away are turned into raw materials for the production of other products. The best recycling is when an item is recycled into the same product. That happens with glass bottles and aluminum cans because it's cheaper than using raw materials. Plastic bottles also can be turned into other plastic bottles. But it's not commonly done, mainly because there's little incentive to do so.

It might be possible to recycle other plastic items for use in products such as lawn furniture or decks. Because those end products generally can't be recycled again, the industry refers to this process as "downcycling."

What's confusing to many is the little number in a triangle of chasing arrows found on many plastic containers. The symbol indicates only that the product is potentially recyclable. The symbol can be, and often is, put on anything, say industry experts. What can or cannot be recycled depends on end markets available.

The number in the symbol is the resin code, used by the plastics industry to indicate the general type of chemical compound used to make the product, explained Susan Hubbard, CEO of Eureka Recycling, a local nonprofit recycling company. Although there are only seven resin codes, there are thousands of types of plastic. Different combinations of dyes and additives can be added to the basic resin to produce a desired color, shape and texture in a product. These variations in the manufacturing process lead to different melting points and other properties within the same resin code. To be made into another product, plastic must be carefully sorted by type.

Yes, it's a waste to throw plastic items into the garbage, but until markets exist, it is also a waste to put them in a recycling bin.

When you put plastic (other than bottles) into your recycling bin, hoping it slips by and gets recycled, you actually add costs -- and waste -- to your recycling program, according to Hubbard. Those yogurt tubs, produce trays and broken toys must be sorted out (a labor-intensive and costly job) before the valuable bottles are bundled and sold to markets that use them. Even if they get passed along, they'll be pulled out later on by the manufacturer because such items are incompatible with bottles -- even if they are marked with the same number.

Nearly all plastic bottles, about 97 percent, can be recycled. If you have a plastic bottle, toss it in the recycling bin.

The trouble is that only a fraction of plastic bottles are being recycled. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 86 percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States become garbage or litter. Although there is plastic that can't recycled, the nation is seriously underutilizing plastic that can be recycled.

One of the biggest hurdles is recycling bottles you take on the go or when attending events. Without a legislative push to build a recycling collection infrastructure and supplying incentives as is done in Europe, that is unlikely to change much, according to USA Strategies Inc., a business-to-business marketing communications firm.

But many communities aren't waiting for federal action. They are increasing public recycling opportunities at parks, public facilities and events.

For now, the folks at Eureka recommend that you buy as little as you can in plastic packaging. Limit the number of plastic toys you have. Buy metal hangers. Find creative ways to have those yogurt and margarine tubs re-used (many schools and businesses can use them). And recycle those plastic bottles!

Send your questions to Fixit in care of the Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488, or call 612-673-9033, or e-mail fixit@startribune.com. Past columns are available at www.startribune.com/fixit. Sorry, Fixit cannot supply individual replies.