Today the differences in plastic types, we encounter every day, were brought to my attention.
Have you seen these symbols above? More details can be found on the Wikipedia page on plastics.
The above are the symbols devised by the Society of the Plastics Industry to mark plastic items we use for recycling purpose. As a consumer you can tell from the symbols whether a piece of plastic is recyclable or not.
So next time before you place that piece of plastic in the recycling bin you should check for these symbols.