Why recycling plastic bags is so difficult?

May 14, 2008 7:05 PM

Many townships don't seem to accept plastic bags for recycling. What is so special about them? What places do accept them for recycling?
posted by bargainhunter to shopping (11 comments total)

There's a lot of different kinds of plastic bags. Are you talking about about grocery store plastic bags? They can usually be returned to the grocery store, who will take them somewhere to recycle them.
posted by aubilenon at 7:10 PM on May 14

Yes, I mean the grocery store bags. I will try the place where I usually shop. Thanks
posted by bargainhunter at 7:11 PM on May 14

They get caught in the machines used to sort and process other recyclables, causing big headaches. I'm not sure how grocery stores handle them, but it's actually a pretty good sign when a township or city doesn't, because it makes it that much more likely that they are actually recycling the recyclables they collect, rather than just putting them in the landfill.
posted by OmieWise at 7:23 PM on May 14 [1 favorite]

Don't take them any more. Use the ones you have until they tear or wear out, then use cloth bags.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:37 PM on May 14

Our local food bank needs them. Also the thrift stores like to get them. Clean ones.

I'm frustrated with cloth bags. I like to use the plastic reusable bags that fold out like a paper grocery bag so that they are easy for the bagger to fill.
posted by cda at 7:47 PM on May 14

I should start carrying a few spare grocery bags in my car to use when I go shopping. I have a pile at home and it is such a waste to throw them away!
posted by bargainhunter at 7:57 PM on May 14

Wal-Mart usually has someplace to put them by the doors or in the gardening area.

You could also just reuse them yourself. If you have a dog they're great for cleaning up. They also make good packing material.
posted by theichibun at 8:09 PM on May 14

At the soup kitchen I volunteer at, plastic grocery bags are gold. The people who come for lunch like to take home their leftovers, and we never seem to have enough.
posted by bluefly at 8:15 PM on May 14

I'm in the U.S. Locally, all three of the big grocery stores that I frequent have collection bins in their lobbies for plastic bag recycling. I save any that I have collected over a month and return them to one of the stores. Giant Market specifically has a Bags to Benches program.
posted by Mael Oui at 10:14 PM on May 14

Here in Glendale L.A. they are listed on the "things we accept in recycle bins" mailing and there are boxes in stores for recycling. Got a mailing today saying that they are recyclable. I use a few for garbage (I try not to make much...) and the rest go into the recycle box.

Never thought about soup kitchen places wanting them, next on the list, I do keep all of them for recycling or trash, if somebody wants them...
posted by zengargoyle at 11:31 PM on May 14

...it's actually a pretty good sign when a township or city doesn't, because it makes it that much more likely that they are actually recycling the recyclables they collect, rather than just putting them in the landfill.

I think that may not be as true as it once was, OmieWise. Here in Bloomington, Indiana, they used to be on the don't-put-in-the-bin list for collection, but they recently added them (and a lot of other stuff that used to be no-go). I figure it's more likely that they found a machine/technique that can deal with the plastic bags than that they spontaneously decided to just throw everything in the landfill. I wouldn't be surprised to see more cities adding them to the list of things that can be recycled.

And as everyone said, many grocery stores will collect them for recycling, there are several ways you can reuse them, and you can also do without them if you remember to bring a cloth bag (many stores will give you a small discount (around here, it's $.05/cloth bag) for it)).
posted by ErWenn at 7:52 AM on May 15