-
A thin polyethylene (PE) plastic
-
A thin plastic that might have a #2 HDPE or #4 LDPE mark on it
-
The plastics used as shopping bags, packaging materials, and product wraps
-
All of the above
Plastic film is so widely used, you’ll probably use it today — maybe as a bag, or bubble wrap, or while unwrapping paper towels.
-
If littered, plastic never biodegrades and can be consumed by wildlife, which is harmful
-
If thrown away, the resources used to make these products go to waste in the landfill
-
Put in recycling bins, it jams MRF machines — a safety hazard that increases costs
-
All of the above
Responsible disposal is pretty much impossible at the curb, since plastic films shouldn’t go in trash or recycling bins.
-
Yes, in the bin — that’s why it sometimes has the chasing arrows
-
Yes, but ONLY in specially-marked bins at grocery stores and other retailers
Drop off your plastic film in designated bins at local stores. They’ll be taken to a facility equipped to recycle plastic film.
-
No, it has to go in the trash can
-
There’s really no good way of knowing; the scientists are even stumped on this
-
Plastic film bins can be found at grocery stores and other retail locations near you
-
Shopping bags, dry cleaning bags, bread bags, zip-top sandwich bags and others are all OK
-
Cling wrap, cellophane, frozen-food bags, salad-mix bags, chip bags and candy wrappers are NOT OK
-
All of these statements about plastic film recycling are true
Just like your regular recycling, some things aren’t accepted because of mechanical limitations and material differences.
A GROWING PROBLEM. A BIG OPPORTUNITY.
Out of all the materials that incorrectly end up at an MRF, plastic film is one of the worst. But we toss out so much soft plastic each year — an estimated 380 billion plastic bags and wraps in the US alone, equal in weight to 1.6 million cars — that we need to reduce what we can and find a way to recycle the rest. Find out why this is such a problem and how you can help!
