Plastic grocery bags are everywhere, they provide convenience and portability for our purchases and they are lightweight and inexpensive for stores to hand out. They are also blowing around parklands, floating in our oceans, hanging from trees, filling up our landfills, and interfering with our recycling efforts.
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But why can’t they be recycled curbside? It might appear counterintuitive that something so prevalent can’t be recycled alongside other plastic materials. The primary reason behind this lies in the characteristics of plastic grocery bags and the intricacies of recycling facilities’ sorting processes. Plastic grocery bags are primarily made from low-density polyethylene (LDPE), a stretchable and flexible plastic. This material isn’t easily recyclable through traditional curbside recycling processes for several reasons:
Mechanical issues: Plastic bags are lightweight and can get caught in recycling machinery, degrading the effectiveness of the sorting process and causing potential breakdowns. This not only disrupts the recycling process but can also be dangerous for workers at recycling facilities. At Eureka, we spend at least two hours every day cutting plastic bags out of our machinery.
Sorting Complexity: Facilities like Eureka Recycling are designed to sort and process common recyclables like paper, cardboard, glass, and specific types of plastic containers. We sort by size, weight, and shape. The thin, flexible nature of plastic bags makes them hard to sort—they mimic paper. Even if plastic bags manage to pass through the system without entangling machinery, they end up contaminating paper.
Recycling Market Demand: Plastic bags have limited demand in recycling markets compared to other materials. The cost and energy required to recycle them often outweigh the benefits.
For more data on the recyclability of plastic film, see Eureka’s Film Capture Study.
There are several eco-friendly options for their proper disposal and reuse:
While plastic grocery bags challenge curbside recycling programs, responsible disposal and reduction strategies can alleviate their environmental impact. Opting for reusable bags, recycling at store drop-off locations, and repurposing plastic bags can all contribute to reducing plastic pollution and advancing toward a Zero Waste future.
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Read More »Since you're a recycling pro, you probably already know that your local program doesn't accept plastic bags in curbside collection. And you may already know that plastic bag recycling is a thing you can do at most local grocery stores.
But here's where it gets confusing. Does that mean just the bags from that store? Or can you recycle more? Most drop-off bag collections accept polyethylene film. This includes high-density polyethylene (HDPE or #2 plastic) and low-density polyethylene (#4 plastic or LDPE). It's great if your bags have markings on them, but since most do not, it's good to know some general guidelines.
Some plastics that can go into the store drop-off bins are
ALL materials should be clean and dry. If your bags are not completely clean of food residue, they will contaminate the entire batch. This includes removing all stickers, labels, and staples if any exist. Don't forget to remove receipts as well!
Other plastics need to go into the trash. These include:
Crinkly plastic bags such as pre-washed salad bags, chip bags, and cereal box liners that tear are made of different plastics that are less likely to be recyclable at all. So if it crinkles, do not add it to retail recycling drop-offs.
Although a small handful of communities accept plastic in curbside bins, the vast majority do not. That's because most facilities don't have the personnel and equipment they would need to process them.
Rigid plastics, like gallon milk containers, are easily processed by machine. They are carried by conveyor belts and machine sorted. But throwing plastic bags into the mix wreaks havoc on these machines. The bags bend easily and get snagged in belts. They jam machinery and need to be cleared by hand.
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The extra labor required to handle these problems and the higher amount of equipment downtime makes your recycling program less profitable. That means that your government has less to spend on other programs.
The few locations that do accept plastic bags in their curbside collection likely do not accept these bags and plastic overwrap loose in the bin. Check to see what the specific requirements for collection might be if your municipality accepts these bags. The common requirement is that residents put all bags into one bag and tie it at the top so recycling workers can easily pick the bag out before it goes to the sorting machine and gets tangled in the gears.
Other locations may accept bags at their facility as a drop-off item only. This likely also has the requirement of stuffing all your bags and overwrap into one bag. Just like retail drop-off locations, all thin plastic film should be clean and dry and free of stickers, staples, and receipts.
Another recycling rule to keep in mind is to not bag your recycling. Curbside collection should be loose in the bin. Some municipalities allow overflow to be bagged in large transparent recycling bags, but you should never be adding small plastic shopping bags filled with recyclables into your bin.
Bagging items in these small bags ends up making it difficult for facilities to sort the items, and it is likely that these bags will be sent to landfill along with all the other viable recyclables inside. So make sure to avoid bagging your recyclables.
You can recycle plastic bags and overwrap packaging, but don't put them in your home recycling bin! You'll need to drop them off at your local grocery store or possibly at the local recycling facility if available. Check the lists above for guidelines on what is accepted and check with your drop-off location if you have any questions.
Since you're a recycling pro, you probably already know that your local program doesn't accept plastic bags in curbside collection. And you may already know that plastic bag recycling is a thing you can do at most local grocery stores.
But here's where it gets confusing. Does that mean just the bags from that store? Or can you recycle more? Most drop-off bag collections accept polyethylene film. This includes high-density polyethylene (HDPE or #2 plastic) and low-density polyethylene (#4 plastic or LDPE). It's great if your bags have markings on them, but since most do not, it's good to know some general guidelines.
Some plastics that can go into the store drop-off bins are
ALL materials should be clean and dry. If your bags are not completely clean of food residue, they will contaminate the entire batch. This includes removing all stickers, labels, and staples if any exist. Don't forget to remove receipts as well!
Other plastics need to go into the trash. These include:
Crinkly plastic bags such as pre-washed salad bags, chip bags, and cereal box liners that tear are made of different plastics that are less likely to be recyclable at all. So if it crinkles, do not add it to retail recycling drop-offs.
Although a small handful of communities accept plastic in curbside bins, the vast majority do not. That's because most facilities don't have the personnel and equipment they would need to process them.
Rigid plastics, like gallon milk containers, are easily processed by machine. They are carried by conveyor belts and machine sorted. But throwing plastic bags into the mix wreaks havoc on these machines. The bags bend easily and get snagged in belts. They jam machinery and need to be cleared by hand.
The extra labor required to handle these problems and the higher amount of equipment downtime makes your recycling program less profitable. That means that your government has less to spend on other programs.
The few locations that do accept plastic bags in their curbside collection likely do not accept these bags and plastic overwrap loose in the bin. Check to see what the specific requirements for collection might be if your municipality accepts these bags. The common requirement is that residents put all bags into one bag and tie it at the top so recycling workers can easily pick the bag out before it goes to the sorting machine and gets tangled in the gears.
Other locations may accept bags at their facility as a drop-off item only. This likely also has the requirement of stuffing all your bags and overwrap into one bag. Just like retail drop-off locations, all thin plastic film should be clean and dry and free of stickers, staples, and receipts.
Another recycling rule to keep in mind is to not bag your recycling. Curbside collection should be loose in the bin. Some municipalities allow overflow to be bagged in large transparent recycling bags, but you should never be adding small plastic shopping bags filled with recyclables into your bin.
Bagging items in these small bags ends up making it difficult for facilities to sort the items, and it is likely that these bags will be sent to landfill along with all the other viable recyclables inside. So make sure to avoid bagging your recyclables.
You can recycle plastic bags and overwrap packaging, but don't put them in your home recycling bin! You'll need to drop them off at your local grocery store or possibly at the local recycling facility if available. Check the lists above for guidelines on what is accepted and check with your drop-off location if you have any questions.
Are you interested in learning more about recyclable plastic bag? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!