Plastic Bags and Recycling – Setting the Record Straight

Recently, a news program featured a story regarding recycling programs and plastic bags that may have caused some confusion.  We’re here to set the record straight.

The story indicated that if plastic bags were found in recycle carts, all contents of the cart would then be considered contaminated and therefore, be thrown in with the garbage and brought to the landfill.  This strict “no plastic bags” policy is being enforced only by the City of Chicago for residents in the city.

Above: The Recycling Center sorts through hundreds of tons of materials each day.

This part is true, plastic bags and other contaminants like pizza boxes and paper coffee cups, are not accepted as part of our program. Plastic bags, especially, are a big problem for our sorting equipment often causing wear and tear on our machines. However, should those items accidentally wind up in your recycle cart, we will not throw the entire contents of the recycle cart into the garbage.

Above: The Recycling Center grinds to a halt as workers remove tangled plastic bags and plastic film from machinery.

All material collected from recycling containers is brought to our sorting facility where the recyclables are sorted by type. Contaminants, like plastic bags, are removed at that time to avoid damage to our equipment. This includes large garbage bags, smaller grocery bags, bread bags, etc.

There is better option for plastic bags. Many grocery stores offer plastic bag recycling where bags can be placed in a receptacle, most often found at the front of the store.

To learn more about your recycle program, please view our guidelines here.

Please check in with our website, Facebook and Twitter to updates or changes to our program.