Recycle that wrap! Plastic film wrap that is, because it can be recycled with plastic grocery store bags.
I have received numerous questions regarding what to do with plastic bags and film wrap after my article last month on plastic recycling. And my answer is to recycle it at the grocery stores.
Most people are aware of the plastic bag recycling bins at the larger grocery stores in the area. But what most people don’t know is that the bins will accept all plastic film. Plastic film, such as produce bags, dry cleaning bags, the wrap around paper towels, toilet paper and bottled water can be recycled along with plastic bags. Even the bag your newspaper comes in on rainy days. If you’re not sure if a plastic film is recyclable you can go to plasticfilmrecycling.org to find out.
As with all recycling the plastic must be clean and dry. If you have reused the plastic bag and it is dirty or soiled it will have to be thrown away. I reuse grocery size plastic bags in my bathrooms and laundry room. They are the perfect size for lining small trash cans.
Do not place your plastic bags/film in a co-mingled recycle bin; they have to be taken to the grocery stores. Co-mingled recycle bins allow all types of recyclables in the same bin to be sorted later. Curbside recycling, the landfill and the convenience locations (Harrison and Petersville) offer co-mingled bins in Bartholomew Co. Plastic bags should not be placed in co-mingled bins, even to hold other recyclables.
All co-mingled recyclables go to a materials recycling facility (MRF) to be separated. At the MRF, machines and people separate the glass from the plastic, for example. At first all recyclables move along conveyor belts to separate the co-mingled material. Then all of the same types of material continue on conveyor belts to separate No. 1 plastic from No. 2, or green glass from clear glass, or newspaper from office paper.
If a plastic bag or film is found at the MRF it is removed and thrown away, even if it is holding other recyclables. The conveyor belts move fast and there isn’t time to open a plastic bag to remove other recyclables. There is also concern that the bags/film will get caught in the conveyor belts and damages them, which causes the machines to break down and separation to stop. It is too costly for the company to deal with the bags/film at that point and they are thrown away immediately. This is why it is so important to take all plastic bags and plastic film to the grocery stores.
It is hard to keep up with what is recyclable and the best way to recycle items. The recycling industry is constantly changing, so kudos to those that try their best to recycle.
I will be at the fair again this year spending time between the Little Hands and Family Arts buildings. Stop by and say, “hi,” or ask me a recycling question. Also I am entering more “buried treasure” in the Family Arts building. This time my husband found Ball canning jars buried in a gulley, and two of them are in perfect condition!
Kari Spurgeon is the education coordinator at the Bartholomew County Solid Waste Management District. She can be reached at 812-376-2614 or [email protected].
