A heap of plastic bags raises quite an intriguing problem concerning plastic recycling. Sure, plastics are recyclable; however, it does not mean that all plastic bags can be placed into curbside recycling bin.
First of all, it is important to stop considering plastic bags similar to hard plastic bottles and boxes. The thing is that these two types of plastics have different behavior at recycling plants and may lead to complications because of wrapping the sorting machinery.
Therefore, people, looking for the ways to recycle plastic bags, should seek a special solution suitable for this kind of plastic.
Before disposing your bags in any way, make sure you check the pile of collected bags. There are some bags that are clean and reusable, and using them once again may prolong their lifespan and save money on purchasing new bags.Recycled bags are either torn, damaged, or otherwise not reusable.
After that, find out the guidelines for your recycling service or drop-off center. There is no guarantee that the place which accepts plastic bottles will accept plastic bags. It depends on the type of plastic and its processing at this plant.
Sometimes, the preparation for recycling might be important as well. There are some restrictions about the types of film accepted by recycling plants and the way this material should be prepared. Clarify this information to avoid any confusion.
The biggest mistake people make is "wish-cycling," when they simply put an item into the recycling bin because it could be recycled. When it comes to plastic bags, such wishful thinking is especially dangerous since flexible film cannot be processed using regular equipment.
Therefore, the cycle of actions looks like:
Collect → Sort → Reuse if possible → Find the right recycling program for film → Make sure it is accepted.
The process will provide a realistic means for managing the bags that have been piling up at home without automatically disposing of them in the wrong recycling channel.
Therefore, when you have plastic bags stacked up in one of your drawers, rather than asking if plastic bags can be recycled, ask if those particular bags can be recycled. This is what will turn your collection of unwelcome bags into a recycling project.