Sun City West residents have a convenient way to recycle plastic materials with the addition of a new bin to the community's fleet.

The plastic recycle bin is located in the informal recycle center of Sun City West, at the Sundome Shopping Plaza at the intersection of Camino del Sol and R.H. Johnson. The red bin is marked for plastics and joins bins already in place for paper, cardboard and aluminum recycling, located behind Safeway.

Gene Whitaker, recycling coordinator for PORA, said the bin was made possible through a joint effort by PORA and Parks and Sons, a local garbage collection firm. The bin comes after a recycling survey of 687 residents indicated many residents were interested in recycling plastic materials.

"We encourage all local residents to use this new resource to the maximum," Whitaker said.

"I've been down there several times and people are very pleased to have it out there." Plastic containers marked with a 1 or a 2, may be recycled in the new bin. The recycle number of a product such as a plastic water bottle can be found on the bottom of the container. If a container has no number or has a number other than 1 or 2 it should be disposed of in the regular trash, Whitaker said.

Steel and tin cans may also be recycled in the new bin.

Products such as plastic bags, plastic sheeting, plastic buckets or  Styrofoam should not be thrown in the bins.

Whitaker said residents should rinse and crush plastic containers before throwing recycling them, if possible.

In less than a week since the addition of the bin, Whitaker said residents have responded by bringing their plastics in hoards.

"I've been down there several times and people are very pleased to have it out there," he said. "The bin is already about half full."