What kind of plastic bags can I recycle?

According to the American Chemistry Council (ACC), using plastic bags instead of paper bags offers a great opportunity for the environment. According to the ACC, not only does the production of plastic bags use 70 percent less energy than the production of paper bags, but the process of recycling one pound of plastic uses 91 percent less energy than the process of recycling one pound of paper.

Types of plastic bags

Plastic bags are essentially films, thin plastic sheets, usually less than 10 mm thick. Among the films used to make plastic bags, there are four most common types of polyethylene.

High-density polyethylene (HDPE)

The vast majority of grocery store bags are made from HDPE. properties of HDPE include medium opacity, easy wrinkling, higher strength than other plastic films, and lack of stretching ability. hdpe bags are usually marked by recycling code 2 and tear easily, but because of their strength, they are ideal for use as grocery bags, garment bags, and packaging air cushions.

Medium Density Polyethylene (MDPE)

MDPE resin is less opaque than HDPE, but less transparent than LDPE. Bags made from MDPE typically do not stretch well and are not associated with a high degree of strength. MDPE, identified by recycling code 4, is typically used in consumer packaging for paper products, such as tissue and toilet paper.

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

LDPE, sometimes identified by recycling code 4, is used to make bags with moderate stretch and strength properties. lDPE bags tend to exhibit a high degree of clarity and are often used in consumer packaging, such as bread bags or thick bags for newspapers. Nylon is sometimes added to LDPE to create bubble wrap.

Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE)

LLDPE is slightly thinner than LDPE and is characterized by its elasticity. These films typically feel sticky and exhibit moderate clarity. LLDPE is commonly used in stretch wrap, dry cleaning film, agricultural film and thin newspaper bags, and LLDPE is often identified by recycling code 4.

What kind of plastic bags can I recycle?

Plastic bag recycling (also known as plastic film recycling) can get tricky if you don't know what kind of plastic the bags are made of. Grocery store drop-off bins for plastic bag recycling accept polyethylene film, which includes high-density polyethylene (also known as HDPE or #2 plastic) and low-density polyethylene (also known as #4 plastic or LDPE). Most bags marked as #2 HDPE or #4 LDPE will fit in the drop box with your regular plastic shopping bags. However, many perfectly acceptable bags are not labeled as to what plastic they are - such as bread bags and Ziploc bags.

When you take them back to the grocery store for recycling, you can actually put the bread bags and Ziploc bags in with the plastic grocery bags. Just make sure they're dry and clean and completely free of food debris. But it's true, frozen vegetable bags are not accepted. This is because the plastic in these bags usually contains additives or layers of other materials to protect the food. Additives or layers are contaminants in the plastic film recycling process that can damage the entire batch of recycled material, so make sure you keep them out of the recycling bin.