Can I recycle a plastic shower curtain? Is it safe to stick in the plastic box at the recycle center? I heard that there were chemicals in shower curtains that are bad for the environment.

If the curtain is in good condition, and providing of course that there are no allergy complications, it would make a brilliant tablecover for childrens messy play, or a waterproof cover for water based activities!

I had the same question and I think unfortunately the best answer is to re-use it or fashion it into something else. I am no longer buying vinyl shower curtains!

Please note that the answer above is grossly incorrect when it says PVC is non-toxic in it's standard state: PVC off-gasses, with some people allergic to this - and there being a link to cancer. Also, the problem is that there is NOT an easy (safe, non-toxic) way to make PVC into other things, and upon disposal or destruction it leeches chemicals which never biodegrade or go away...

I watched a whole documentary on PVC giving a girl cancer and she won a lawsuit from the PVC industry, and the documentary showed her trying to convince her parents not to reside their house with PVC! She could not find a method to deal with the old PVC siding despite huge efforts. GREAT movie by the way - I think it is this one: http://greenarbytheday.wordpress.com/2009/01/08/movie-review-blue-vinyl/

If the shower curtain has the recycle symbol on it then yes

That clear/rubbery plastic is most likely vinyl - which is not a toxic material while in its usable form - however burning it or making it produces some serious toxins.

BTW, Those vinyl curtains are designed to be washed on cool to warm, with a few drops of detergent and a cup of vinegar - works best of you let it soak an hour or so in the vinegar water. It can be dried with tumble air only, of if you have a delicates cycle with a warm (not hot, luke warm) temperature checking it frequently.

This is why they are considered a 'green' alternative since they can have an extremely long life.

As for recycling. different regions accept different materials. Some do accept vinyl since vinyl can be relatively safely modified or reused. Some areas accept it as recyclable but only for the purpose of treating it like a toxic hazardous material disposal.

Your sanitation (trash) department can give you far more information on what they do and do not accept, and even tell you where to take questionable material if they do not have street side pick-ups. some areas have a biyearly 'hazardous' waste material pickup, including TVs, Refrigerators and A/C units - pesticides, herbicides and other lawn and household chemicals in their original container(s) some include non recyclable plastics, like tires, vinyls, etc.