By Andi Sedlacek, communications director for the DNR.

Plastic is everywhere. It’s useful, convenient and part of everyday life. However, the plastic we use today, if not properly recycled, could be around forever — at least 100 years or more.

If recycled properly, though, a plastic item you’re done using can live on to become something new and helpful to someone else.

But before we head to the recycle bin, let’s first talk about how we can reduce our plastic usage from the start.

Reduce Consumption

Recycling plastic is a great step toward reducing plastic pollution, but it can be hard to avoid using plastic in the first place. Small actions done by many people to reduce plastic usage can have a big impact. Here are a few ways to start.

• Swap your single-use plastic sandwich and snack bags for reusable, washable storage containers.

• Go the same route with water and coffee — use a reusable, refillable water bottle and travel coffee mug to cut down on one-time-use containers.

• Reuse plastics such as beverage bottles, plastic bags and packaging when possible.

• Share appreciation for events and locations that provide recycling opportunities for customers and participants.

• Subscribe to Recycling Updates, the DNR's free emailed newsletter dedicated to recycling.

Check The Rules

If a plastic item has that little triangle symbol with a number on it, you can recycle it anywhere, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case.

Each municipality in Wisconsin has distinct recycling rules regarding what it accepts, including plastics. Variations occur because the facilities municipalities rely on to sort and process recyclables have different equipment, locations and markets.

It’s important to know the rules for your community to ensure you’re doing the right thing.

Plastics are made from chemical resins, and various resins have different physical properties. In general, different resins cannot be mixed together to make new products.

To help keep resins separate, the plastics industry developed a standardized numerical resin code system. These codes, numbered 1 through 7 and usually imprinted with a triangular arrangement of arrows on the bottom of plastic containers, help consumers identify the plastic.

All recyclers in Wisconsin accept plastic with resin codes #1 and #2. These plastics comprise about 97% of all plastic bottles, according to the Association of Plastics Recyclers. Since there are strong and stable markets for these plastics, they are banned from landfill disposal in Wisconsin.

Plastics with resin codes #3 through #7 are generally harder to recycle into new products. Some municipalities may direct residents to keep some or all of these out of the recycling bin or cart. Some of these plastics, such as bags marked with resin codes #2 or #4, may have other recycling options.

This is why it’s important to know your municipality’s rules around plastics recycling.

So what about plastic bags and plastic wrap? You can recycle clean and dry plastic wrap and bags at many grocery stores and other retailers, usually in a bin near the entrance. Check with local stores to find out what they take before heading there.

A Lifetime Of Plastic

It can take between 100 and 1,000 years or more for plastic to decompose, depending on environmental conditions. When plastic does end up in the environment rather than getting recycled, it can break down into smaller pieces of plastic, becoming microplastics and infiltrating our ecosystems.

Plastic pollution can harm animals too, especially marine animals. Plastic bags, plastic bottles and even fishing line easily find their way into rivers, lakes and streams where animals may ingest them or get tangled in them.

Plastic pollution isn’t good for anyone, but it can be prevented.