Don’t put mixed recyclables in a plastic bag. Closed plastic bags with items inside are considered contamination at recycling facilities.
Plastic bags and curbside recycling don’t mix! Both plastic bags used to contain recyclables and those that are tossed into recycling bins are problematic for recyclers.
If you use a plastic bag for storing household or office recyclables, open it and dump contents into your recycling bin so all items are loose. Save your plastic bag for reuse or recycle it at the supermarket. If neither option is viable, discard it in your garbage so it doesn’t cause costly shutdowns at the recycling plant.
Single-stream curbside programs rely on mechanical sorting of recyclables. The business model for recyclers depends, in turn, on keeping the machinery running efficiently. Plastic bags slow things down in two ways:
Most supermarkets collect plastic bags for recycling, so returning them to the store where you got them is a good option. Alternatively, try to cut down on the number of plastic bags you use in the first place. When running errands, take along a reusable shopping bag instead!
Read more at earth911.com
Plastic bags and curbside recycling don’t mix! Both plastic bags used to contain recyclables and those that are tossed into recycling bins are problematic for recyclers.
If you use a plastic bag for storing household or office recyclables, open it and dump contents into your recycling bin so all items are loose. Save your plastic bag for reuse or recycle it at the supermarket. If neither option is viable, discard it in your garbage so it doesn’t cause costly shutdowns at the recycling plant.
Single-stream curbside programs rely on mechanical sorting of recyclables. The business model for recyclers depends, in turn, on keeping the machinery running efficiently. Plastic bags slow things down in two ways:
- If used to contain recyclables, plastic bags have to be separated out and ripped open by workers, so that the recyclables can be removed and sorted. That’s so inefficient that recyclers may sideline plastic bags and send them to landfills instead.
- Plastic bags that are included in curbside recycling bins along with other materials – especially the flimsy, single-use bags used by many supermarkets and big-box stores – clog sorting machinery. That results in costly downtime at sorting plants.
Most supermarkets collect plastic bags for recycling, so returning them to the store where you got them is a good option. Alternatively, try to cut down on the number of plastic bags you use in the first place. When running errands, take along a reusable shopping bag instead!
Read more at earth911.com
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