North Four Corners News ♦ December 2022

Answering Questions About Plastic Bag Recycling

By Karen Jackler

If you’re like me, you have a bag of bags somewhere in your house.  It’s the plastic shopping bag you shove all the other plastic shopping bags, bread bags, newspaper bags, wrappers, and other flimsy, filmy plastic bits into.  At some point, you drop it off at a grocery store bin and hope for the best — that the bags will be recycled.  Recently, a group of NFCCA residents started a thread on plastic bag recycling on the neighborhood listserv, which spurred some good questions among our neighbors about exactly what kinds of plastic can go in the plastic drop-off bins.

Where do I recycle my plastic bags?

The most convenient way to recycle plastic bags is to deposit them in a store drop-off bin.  Most grocery stores and big box stores have a bin to collect plastic bags as well as some kinds of plastic wrapping.  Stores in our area with plastic drop-off bins include Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter, Target, Kohl’s, Food Lion, Wegmans, Wal-mart, and Weis.  Enter your zip code at bagandfilmrecycling.org/view/fdod to find the nearest drop-off location.

Do not put plastic bags and other flexible plastics like plastic wrap into your curbside blue recycling bins.  The county’s recycling facility processes only rigid plastics like beverage bottles and food containers; plastic bags and wraps get tangled in the processing mechanism causing them to jam.  Once the tangled bags are removed, they end up in a landfill.

What can go into the grocery drop-off store bag recycling bins?

Only bags, wraps, and films that are labeled #2 and #4 can go into the grocery store bins.  Here are a few ways to tell if you have a #2 or #4 plastic bag or wrap:

• Look for a “moving arrow” or triangle label with a 2 or 4 inside the triangle (see example above).
• Look for a “how2recycle.info” label that says “Store Drop-off.”
• If you can’t find either kind of label, try the stretch test.  #2 and #4 plastic bags and wraps stretch when you push your thumb into it or you pull it between your hands.

Here are some common #2 and #4 plastic bags and wraps that can go in store drop-off bin:

• Grocery and retail bags
• Zip-top bags/baggies
• Overwrap for things like flats of canned goods
• Wrapping for paper towels, toilet paper, and diapers
• Bread bags
• Dry cleaning bags
• Newspaper sleeves
• Bubble wrap and air pillows (bubble wrap with small bubbles can go the bin in as-is, big bubble and air pillows should be deflated to save space)
• Plastic mailing envelopes (remove or cut away any paper labels)
• Plastic cereal box liners

What should I do before I drop off my #2 and #4 plastic bags and wraps?

• Remove any paper labels.  If the label doesn’t peel off cleanly, cut away and discard the area with the label in your trash can.
• Make sure the bag is clean and dry.  Shake out any receipts, crumbs, and other debris.  If there is any food residue, wipe it out.  Air dry bags that are wet or moist.  If you can’t remove food or other residue, it’s best not to put the bag in the recycle bin.  Putting wet or dirty plastics into the bin may cause that bundle of plastic to be sent to a landfill instead of a recycling center.  A representative from BagandFilmRecycling.org told me that retailers often store the plastic they collect until it is picked up for recycling, so it is important that the plastic is clean and dry so that it does not attract pests or create an unsanitary situation in the store.

What happens to the plastic that I put into the drop-off bins?

PlasticFilmRecycling.org says that the clean, dry #2 and #4 films deposited at grocery stores can be used to make composite lumber for making decks (like Trex), benches, and playground sets.  Plastic film can also be reprocessed into small pellets, which can be made into new bags, pallets, containers, crates, and pipe.

What plastic bags, wraps, or films CANNOT go into the grocery store bins?

If the bag, wrap, or film is labeled #1, #3, #5, #6, or #7, or the “how2recycle” logo does not say “Store Drop-off,” do not put it into the grocery store bin.  Putting these items into the bins contaminates that bundle of plastic and makes the whole bundle unrecyclable.  Common household plastics that should not go into the store drop-off bins include:

• Plastic that tears like paper or sounds crinkly when you crumple it
• Prewashed salad and vegetable bags
• Floral wrap
• Food pouches (like squeeze bags for fruit purees or sauces or powder drink mix sleeves)
• Candy and chip wrappers
• Mesh or net produce bags (like the ones that hold onions and oranges)
• Bags or wrap that held meat or cheese
• Frozen food bags, unless it is labeled #2 or #4 or “store drop-off”
• Pet food bags
• Six-pack rings
• Thick plastic packaging for bed linens (sheets, blankets, and bedspreads)
• Bags labeled “compostable” or “biodegradable”

How do I recycle plastic bags, wraps, and films that cannot go into the grocery store drop-off bins?

Unfortunately, recycling bags, wraps, and films that are not #2 or #4 will require extra effort and possibly expense on the part of the consumer to recycle, otherwise these plastics should go in your regular trash.  I found only two available recycling options:

• TerraCycle is a company that, for a fee, will take back virtually any household waste you have and find a way to reuse or recycle it.  You simply order a box that matches the type of item you want to recycle.  When the box arrives, you stuff it full of your recycling and send it back to the company (the price of the box includes return shipping).  The price may be a barrier to some, though you can share the box with others to defray the costs.
• Terracycle also has various programs with specific companies like Late July and Honest Kids, Barilla, Entenmann’s, and BabyBel to take back plastics like snack wrappers and food pouches for free.  However, some of these programs are limited and have waitlists to be able to sign up for them.

Suggestions for Reducing the Amount of Plastic You Use

While recycling #2 and #4 plastic bags and wrap is relatively easy, recycling many types of bags and wraps is quite difficult for the average consumer.  According to the United Nations Environmental Program, only about 9% of the world’s plastics are recycled, 85% of all plastic ends up in landfills, and 98% of new plastic products produced are “virgin” plastic derived from oil and natural gas, not from recycled materials.

If you want to combat the amount of plastic film that ends up in our landfills and waterways, consider what you can do before you put that bag or wrap in a recycling bin.  There are tons of websites and blogs with details about reducing or eliminating plastic from your life.  Do some Googling and find one that resonates with you.  My favorite is GoingZeroWaste.com, which promotes progress over perfection.  Here are some personal strategies I use, which you may want to try, too.

• I bring my own shopping bags and produce bags.  It took time to develop the habit, but over time I’ve become pretty consistent.
• I try to avoid buying things in plastic bags or films.  I buy mostly loose produce instead of prepacked fruits and veggies and put them in my reusable produce bags.  I also bring my own containers to grocery stores with bulk bins for dried beans, rice, and other staples.  A lot of grocery stores with in-store bakeries have unwrapped loaves you can put into a paper bag or into one of your reusable bags.
• For bags that make their way into my house and are not made of #2 or #4 plastic, I try to give them at least one more use in place of an easier-to-recycle plastic bag.  If the bag has a zip top, I clean it out and use it to organize the various bits and bobs in my shed.  I use the large zip-top bags to collect the pet waste after I scoop the backyard.  My dog’s empty dry food bag becomes that week’s trash can liner.
• I hang on to the bubble wrap, air pillows, and a few Amazon cushioned envelopes in case I need them for a package.  If I accumulate too much of it, I can usually find someone on the NFCCA listserve or the local Buy Nothing Facebook group who needs it.

For more information on plastic bag recycling, visit how2recycle and BagandFilmRecycling.org.

[Karen Jackler is mom to a college sophomore and a high school senior; wife to private pilot Leon; dog mom to a big, goofy pitbull/lab mix; a long-time FDA employee; and has lived on Edgewood Avenue for 24 years.]   ■