The following are exerpts from Treehugger Newsletter, May 12, 2023, "Can Plastic Bags be Recycled?"
Plastic grocery and retail bags are made from polyethylene, synthetic polymers made from hundreds of monomers linked together by strong chemical bonds. They are made from nonrenewable petrochemicals derived from fossil oil, natural gas, and coal.1 As a result, their manufacture releases greenhouse gases.
Widespread recycling programs are making it easier to recycle your plastic bags, but the recycling process does have its challenges. Because plastic grocery and retail bags are generally thin and lightweight, they can clog regular recycling equipment (hence the specialty plastic bag recyclers)
The EPA reports that in 2018, about 4,200,000 tons of plastic bags, sacks, and wraps were generated in the United States. Only 10% of those were recycled.3 Commit to increasing this recycling rate by recycling your own plastic bags and reducing your environmental impact.
Plastic Bag Recycling Codes
One way community recycling programs specify what they do or do not accept for recycling is by using Resin Identification Codes (RICs), sometimes called “recycling codes.” Those are the numbers you see inside the small recycling symbol stamped on materials.
Plastic bags generally fall under the #2 and #4 RICs. If your bag is marked with either of these numbers, you can assume its welcome in plastic bag recycling bins.
Examples of #2 plastics include more heavy duty bags, like those you get from grocery stores and fashion retailers. Thinner bags, like plastic produce bags, are likely made from #4 plastics.
But be careful—rigid plastics like bottles and jugs are also marked with #2 and #4 RICs. Plastic bottles and jugs are often accepted in curbside recycling programs. While they technically have the same RIC as plastic bags, you shouldn’t toss your bags in with your other recyclables unless your program specifies that it accepts them.
Most major national grocery retailers accept plastic bags for recycling, often partnering with large plastic recyclers. Find these recycling bins near the store entrance marked as “plastic bag recycling” or something similar.
Experts say the best way to be sustainable is to reduce, reuse, and recycle—in that order. Saying no to plastic by bringing your own reusable bags to the store is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint because you won’t be supporting the burning of fossil fuels for plastic bag production
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And locally there are efforts to reduce having plastic bags in retail shopping. Buncombe County, nearby small town of Weaverville, Asheville, and now Black Mountain are moving in this direction through grassroots petitions and information sharing.
