Common examples include:

• Soft drink bottles of all colors, PET water bottles, salad dressing bottles, cooking oil bottles, jars for foods such as peanut butter, pickles and jelly, mouthwash bottles, and prepared food trays
• Milk jugs, juice bottles, yogurt and butter tubs, cereal box liners, shampoo bottles, motor oil bottles, bleach and laundry detergent bottles, and household cleaner bottles
  
  

Resin Identification Codes (RIC) are located on plastic items that identify the type of plastic used to create that item. These codes are important in identifying the type of recycling that can be used to process plastic waste most efficiently. The RIC is commonly found on the bottom of plastic items and is numbered 1-7 in a triangle made of arrows.

Trash bags are not ideal for processing, so we ask that you do not use them to collect your items for the recycling bins. Throwing items loose is the preferred method. For example, if you collect your plastic items in a bin at home, transport them in the bin, but don’t deposit your bin in the Food City container. If you do use a trash bag to collect your items, please dump the items into the bin and take the trash bag with you — you can reuse it!

Food City has a separate location for plastic grocery bags inside their stores. If you use grocery bags to collect your plastic, just place the contents of the bag into the bins outside the store and then you can drop your unwanted grocery bags in the separate location inside.

No need to wash items, but a light rinse is preferred (for example, don’t leave peanut butter in the jar). Screw caps and lids may be left on, and there is no need to remove any labels on the items you are dropping off.

The collected plastic will be sorted and processed by Eastman's new mixed plastics processing facility, a part of the new molecular recycling plant in Kingsport that’s one of the largest material-to-material molecular recycling facilities in the world. The plastic will then be converted into new materials for various durable goods applications.

As long-standing members of the community, the partnership is part of Eastman and Food City’s commitment to advancing the circular economy and reducing the environmental impact of plastic waste. By offering convenient and accessible recycling options to drop off plastics for the public, the partnership will help divert plastic waste from landfills or incineration to create valuable new materials that can be used in a variety of applications again and again.

Eastman’s molecular recycling technology breaks down plastic waste into its molecular building blocks, which are then used to create new high-performance plastics that are indistinguishable from virgin materials. This technology can recycle plastics that are typically difficult to recycle, such as colored laundry detergent bottles, clamshell fruit packaging, polyester fabrics, shampoo bottles and much more.

The program is piloting at three Food City stores in Kingsport and will expand to other Food City locations in the region throughout the following months. Check back on this site for additional locations as they become available.