Does your local recycling take those #5 plastics? Not many do. What to do with all of those containers from yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, hummus and other plastic food storage with the dreaded #5 on the bottom? Never fear, the Preserve Gimme 5 program is here to help!
Since we announced the Gimme 5 pilot program in Whole Story a little over a year ago, 45,000 pounds of plastic (that’s about 2.9 million yogurt cups) have been recycled into Preserve brand toothbrushes, razors, tableware, cutting boards, strainers and lots of other cool, stylish kitchen ware. This year, the program expects to collect three to four times that volume of #5 plastic thanks to an expanded number of Gimme 5 drop-off locations at Whole Foods Market stores across the nation – now available in over 225 of our U.S. stores. Find the complete list of Gimme 5 locations here.
Preserve, the leading producer of 100% recycled household products, put together a stellar group to make this program come together: natural personal care leader Tom’s of Maine, organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm, water filtering company Brita and its FilterForGood campaign and, of course, Whole Foods Market. This partnership reflects the five companies’ shared commitment to protecting the environment. It also empowers consumers with a simple and effective recycling program that cuts down on the use of virgin materials in products.
Tom’s of Maine deodorant packaging, Stonyfield yogurt containers, used Brita water pitcher filters (see Preserve website for info on recycling the Brita filters) and a number of other products made from #5 plastic, including dairy and take-out containers, are transformed into performance-driven, stylish and 100% recycled Preserve household products. These Preserve products are sold in our stores, which is extra cool because you can bring in old stuff to be recycled and pick up new stuff made from the old stuff.
Gimme 5 makes it easier for people to do the right thing. We’re pleased to be a part of this great program. Gimme 5 fits perfectly into our mission of caring about our communities and the environment. We welcome this partnership and thank our shoppers and Team Members for such a successful year of recycling.
If you don’t live near one of the current collection sites or if your Whole Foods Market store doesn’t yet offer Gimme 5 recycling, you can mail your #5 plastics to Preserve. Post a comment below to let us know how the recycling process is working for you!

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Hi! The link to the list of places to recycle yogurt cups (etc…) is broken – message says its out of memory. Can you repost?
April 9th, 2010 at 8:53 am
the link for the loations doesnt work
April 9th, 2010 at 8:57 am
The link for the locations participating in the Gimme 5 program doesn’t seem to be working. Is there somewhere else I can find this information? Thanks!
April 9th, 2010 at 9:00 am
I live and work on an island off the coast of Maine from May thru Oct. We sell Stonyfield yogurt in our shop and also collect hundreds of cork from wine bottles. Would love to get these product to Whole Foods; Portland is the closest and about 2 hours away; that is after you get to the mainland which is an hour ferry ride.
Is there anyone that I could speak with to see what would be the best way to accomplish these issues? The cost of getting things off the island can be quite expensive, but I WOULD do it!! Any help and/or suggestions would be appreciated!! Diane
April 9th, 2010 at 9:14 am
Odd, it seems to be working now. Could you guys try again? http://www.preserveproducts.com/recycling/gimme5locations.html
April 9th, 2010 at 9:19 am
This is FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself! Well done, Preserve and Whole Foods!
April 9th, 2010 at 10:35 am
I love the idea of recycling plastic #5’s instead of disgarding them as trash. I feel as if everything is some shape or form is either recyclable or compostable. Here in South Carolina alot of our containers are made of plastics # 5’s and plastic # 6’s. Will there be a recycling station for plastic # 6’s soon?
April 10th, 2010 at 6:30 am
This is another reason I LOVE Whole Foods!!!!! You are the best in every way and so far ahead of other stores. Thanks for all you do to make shopping a true joy….
April 14th, 2010 at 11:49 pm
[...] — Brenda Pike @ 8:00 am Used Brita filters—and all #5 plastics—can either be dropped off at participating Whole Foods or mailed in to Preserve, to be recycled into toothbrushes, razors, dishes, etc. Leave a [...]
April 15th, 2010 at 7:05 am
Hi
Any Idea when the Gimmi 5 will be available at the Las Vegas Whole Foods locations? Also any idea where in Las Vegas we can recycle old hairdryers etc.
Also if anyone is interested Aveda Store and Hair salons recycle all plastic bottle tops and when I asked she said pump tops as well.
April 15th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Thank you for doing everything you can do to keep our planet healthy! my grandsons and future generations are depending on us!
April 15th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Great news! Thanks for making everyone aware of the trend that continues to sweep the nation. It is becoming easier to recycle #5s!!!
April 16th, 2010 at 9:15 am
[...] their Gimme 5 program they accept all #5 plastics for recycling, not just their own. (You can drop them off at participating Whole Foods or mail them in.) In this case, I think only the handle is recyclable, not the replacement blades, [...]
June 14th, 2010 at 7:17 pm
My Baltimore County recycling program now (finally!) takes, they say, any plastic with any number (except no Styrofoam). However, I have saved a TON of plastic bottle and jar lids, and neck rings. How can I tell which ones are #5? That is, what are the characteristics of #5 plastic lids — are they rigid? Flexible? Anything else? What about colors? If I can’t tell, should I bring in all of them and you can tell? It’s only the ones without numbers, since if anything has a number on it, I put it in with the Baltimore Co. regular recycling.
November 29th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Yes, Janice, you can bring all of them in and they will be sorted. Thanks for all your recycling efforts!
November 29th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
regards mj
September 14th, 2011 at 5:18 pm