How to Recycle Plastic Bags
Lizzy explains how to dispose of plastic bags and film wrap.
Workers pause a recycling facility to remove plastic bags and plastic film tangled in equipment.
Plastic bags are one of the most misunderstood items when it comes to recycling. Although plastic bags are recyclable, they are not accepted within most curbside recycling programs. The bags cause a host of problems for recycling facilities. However, recycling facilities receive a lot of bags in the recycling, especially since they are such a commonly used item. In the U.S., 100 billion plastic bags are used every year (Reuse It).
Not Accepted In Curbside Programs
Along with plastic grocery bags, we do not accept plastic bread bags, plastic wrap, snack bags (chips, fruit snacks, etc.), storage bags, and flex packaging (baby food pouches, fruit pouches, juice drink pouches). So what happens if you accidentally recycle a plastic bag or film wrap?
At recycling centers throughout the United States, there are huge, complicated sorting machines that sort paper, cans, cardboard, cartons, and more. But these machines do not efficiently sort the plastic bags and they end up in all the wrong places. The plastic bags get caught in the sorting machines and prevent them from working. The machines are shut down so that workers can cut free mangled plastic bags from the machine. This downtime limits the capacity of recycling centers nationwide.
Where to Recycle Plastic Bags
Plastic bags may not be accepted in your curbside recycling program, but they can still be recycled elsewhere! Many retailers like Kohl’s, Walt’s, Jewel, Target and Walmart will accept empty plastic bags. There are often plastic bag recycling bins near the front entrance of the store. Here’s a helpful site you can use to search for plastic bag recycling locations near you www.Plasticfilmrecycling.org
One sustainable solution to plastic bags is to take reusable shopping bags with you when you go grocery shopping. You can save countless plastic bags by doing this and they’re easier to carry when you have a lot of groceries. Just be sure to clean them regularly so that your produce will stay clean.
Another way to help is with the one of the three R’s- reuse! Try to reuse your plastic bags in as many ways as possible, like as trash bags, for your pets, or to put dirty clothes in while on a trip. The good news is that, according to the APBA, 9 out of 10 people already reuse their plastic bags!
Shift away from using an item once and then tossing it. Instead, make a point to reuse and conserve our limited resources. With little actions, like switching to reusable shopping bags, you can help our environment every single day.
Retailers That Take Back Plastic Bags
Here’s a sampling of local retailers that take back plastics bags at their locations. You can return any type of plastic bags these bins, not just bags from that specific retailer. Because these bags are already sorted, clean and dry, they can shipped off to be made into new products.
