What\’s In The Bag?

Plastic is plastic right? Not really. Plastic comes in all sorts of varieties and it can’t all go together in the same bin to be recycled. When plastic bags get mixed in with other recyclables, they’re difficult to sort out, and often jam or damage the machines at recycling facilities and slow down the recycling process. In addition to potentially damaging machinery, lots of plastic bags end up in either landfills, or worse, get mistaken as food by marine animals. That is why most communities do not accept plastic bags and other soft plastics in their curbside recycling program.

While using your own reusable bags is the best alternative to single-use plastic bags, you can still reduce the use of plastic bags by reusing them and then recycling them separately to keep them out of landfills or the environment.

Most chain grocery stores and home improvement stores will accept clean plastic bags such as, grocery bags, newspaper bags, Ziploc bags, cereal liners and many more. It makes sense for these stores to serve as collection points for bags since they distribute so many and also because they handle so much plastic themselves.

These bags and liners then get shipped off to the proper recycling facility and turned in decking, fences, playground equipment, pallets, crates and even new plastic bags. Help create awareness and do your part by using reusable bags and spreading the word to family and friends.