The Final Word On Plastic Bag Recycling
We get a lot of questions about plastic bags, especially those that state, right on the box, 'recycling' or 'recyclable'. No matter the color or what the box says, plastic bags of all shapes and sizes are not recyclable in Chicago's blue recycling carts. There's no getting around it.
Why aren't plastic bags recyclable in the blue cart?
Once your recycling is collected by a recycling truck, it makes its way to a recycling sorting facility (officially called a material recovery facility) that sorts all the items by material or item. In Chicago, all recycling is processed at an LRS material recovery facility.
Soft plastics, like plastic bags and bubble wrap, aren’t recyclable at home because they’re difficult to sort out from other recyclable items, like cardboard, paper, and plastic containers.
In fact, soft plastics are a top troublemaker to Chicacgo's recycling program because they stick to the sorting machine gears causing the facility to shut down while they cut the plastic bags out of the machines with saws and axes!
A simple recycling rule of thumb: Soft plastic? Hard no.
Then why do so-called 'recycling' plastic bags exist?
Multi-floor commercial buildings often use blue recycling bags because it can be most efficient to collect trash and recycling bags together in one cart. Then down at the dumpsters, the bags of recycling are easy to identify from regular trash, and are then tossed into the recycling container.
Some municipalities, including NYC, require recycling to be collected in transparent plastic 'recycling' bags when recycling bins or dumpsters aren't available.
However, marketing bags to the general public with the words 'recycling' has no-doubt been costly to municipal recycling programs who have to deal with the cost of removing them from the recycling stream and sending them back to the landfill. As a result, plastic bag manufacturers who market their bags as recyclable are increasingly being sued for false advertising.
Drop off plastic bags for recycling
Because soft plastics are difficult to sort out of the household recycling stream, many local retailers provide access to free, drop-off recycling programs, including these grocery stores in Chicago. Look for their Plastic Bag Recycling bins located near the front doors.
These recycling programs accept clean plastic bags and other soft plastic items made from #2 or #4 plastic film. They do not accept: stretchy food wrap, frozen food bags, cellophane, or pre-washed salad bags because of incompatible chemical make-ups. Also, it's imperative that paper labels are cut off of plastic envelopes. Only 100% plastic items are accepted.
Accepted in Drop Off Plastic Bag Recycling Programs:
BUBBLE WRAP - Popped or not, recycle it
PLASTIC MAILERS - Cut off paper labels
PLASTIC SHIPPING BAGS - Cut off paper labels
AIR PILLOWS - Pop to save space
SANDWICH BAGS - Plastic zipper bags are okay too
DRY CLEANER BAGS - Remove paper, hangers, etc
Important caveat
Make sure you're only recycling soft plastics - without any junk inside. Before dropping off your bundle, open the bags to check for lingering paper receipts, shake out crumbs, and cut off paper shipping labels.
For these free recycling programs to remain sustainable, the plastic wrap we contribute needs to be clean.
