Plastic bags are one item that both business owners and individuals find difficult to recycle.
Many of us are perplexed about how to go about recycling plastic bags. Should you put plastic bags, wrap, and film in your curbside recycling bin, or should you collect them and transport them to a designated recycling drop-off location, such as a grocery store, hardware store, or independent retailer?
If you own a company that produces large quantities of this type of film plastic, whether in the form of plastic bags, bubble wrap, shrink wrap, or other products, you have more recycling options, including the use of an on-site baler.
Before you continue reading, keep in mind that what can be recycled in your city or municipality is determined by the rules in place as well as whether your community participates in any external recycling programmes. While the information provided here is generally valid across much of the United States, I recommend contacting your local recycling provider or dialling 311 to learn about the restrictions in your area.
Can Plastic Bags Be Recycled at the Curb?
The short answer is no. Plastic bags and other film plastics such as shrink wrap, bubble wrap, and other types of plastic film are not accepted by most curbside recycling programmes.
This is due to the fact that most materials recovery facilities' (MRFs') sorting machinery was not designed to separate fragile forms of plastic from the regular recycling stream. As a result, plastic bags and other film plastics that enter an MRF tend to clog the sorting equipment, reducing machine lifespan, slowing operations, and putting personnel in danger when retrieving the stray plastic.
While some MRFs have tested to see if they can accept plastic bag recycling in the future, it will be some time before this becomes a standard practise.
Recycling of Plastic Bags and Other Plastic Films:
How can plastic bags and other types of film plastic be recycled if they cannot be recycled curbside?
When determining how to recycle plastic bags, it is necessary to consider both residential and commercial options.
Plastic bags can be recycled by individuals:
if you work from home and are concerned about the environment, call 311 or look online for information on how to properly dispose of plastic bags and film. Many supermarkets aggressively accept plastic bags at the front of their stores, which is a great option for many of us.
Because of the COVID-19 public health emergency, I recommend calling after you've found a nearby retailer to see if they're still open and continuing their plastic bag recycling programme. If they are, try to visit this location as infrequently as possible, leaving your plastic bags at home for as long as possible before venturing out. The advantage of recycling plastic bags is that they compress easily—even in a small apartment, you can likely store many months' worth of plastic film in a small number of plastic bags buried under your kitchen sink.
Recycling of Business Plastic Bags:
Examine your waste stream first to determine whether your company requires a plastic bag recycling system.
In 2017, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that 26.8 million tonnes of plastic were disposed of in landfills, accounting for 19.2 percent of all municipal solid waste (MSW) disposed of. If you are currently disposing of this material as MSW, you are not only harming the environment, but you may also be losing money on the resale value of these plastics in commodity markets.
Plastic film industries, such as pallet wrap, may require a baler in order to sell the plastic as feedstock to end markets for the manufacture of new products. When produced in large quantities, plastic film and plastic bands can be baled, stored, and delivered for purchase in order to be recycled and used in future goods. Plastic film, for example, can be recycled into pellets and then used to make plastic lumber or slip sheets.
For office buildings, a simple break room bin will suffice. Rubicon® collaborates with each customer to develop a unique plastic bag, film, and package recycling strategy that includes all necessary containers and equipment. If your company operates in a state where recycling is required, we will ensure that your recycling programme meets or exceeds legal requirements.
We constantly monitor commodity market values and work with local suppliers to ensure that your company receives the highest possible return on its used plastics. Recycling plastic can help you develop brand affinity by showcasing sustainable business practises as well as potential cash opportunities.
Plastic bags should be used less frequently, reused, and recycled:
When it comes to Rubicon's goal of eliminating waste in all forms, recycling plastic bags and film is just one piece of the puzzle.
Rubicon follows the "reduce, reuse, recycle" philosophy when it comes to waste streams. As a full-service waste and recycling provider, our company's broad range of commercial trash and recycling solutions includes everything from construction and demolition (C&D) waste removal to food waste and organics recycling, hazardous waste disposal, and more. We start by reducing the size of our customers' waste streams, then think about how goods can be repurposed to extend their useful life, and finally think about recycling solutions.
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