Almost every product you pick up now bears the little recycling triangle. This does not mean it is necessarily recyclable in your area. Most plastics can be recycled, but due to the difficulty in collecting, sorting, cleaning and reprocessing, at present for most councils it is only economically viable to recycle three types of plastic from domestic sources in Victoria.

Code 1, PET (e.g., soft drink bottles)
Code 2, HDPE (e.g., milk and juice bottles)
Code 3, vinyl (V) (e.g., juice and cordial bottles)

Fortunately, the list is on the increase with some councils now recycling numbers beyond 3. Ask your local council for the list of plastics they accept for recycling if they haven't sent you one already. Look for code 1, 2 or 3 plastics when buying things in plastic packaging.

THE ALTERNATIVE

Avoid buying things in plastic packaging. Go for natural materials that can be recycled or re-used such as glass, wood or (recycled) cardboard. Even better, shop at bulk stores and markets where you can buy things without any packaging at all. Even the recycling processes uses energy to make old materials into new packaging. No packaging is the most sustainable option.