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.

Unfortunately, there is no other option for recycling frozen food bags. It's true that they are difficult to avoid, but avoiding them is by far the best way to reduce non-recyclable plastic waste. It negates the convenience of pre-made frozen foods, but you can freeze fresh vegetables, fruits and foods in food storage bags. Food storage bags can be recycled after they are washed and dried.

Remember, we're talking about recycling plastic bags by discarding them in containers at grocery stores and other retail locations. Plastic bags should not go in your household recycling bin. It is extremely rare for curbside pickup recycling programs to accept plastic bags in recycling bins, so please be safe and bring them to your recycling location.