In my mind, using cloth bags to haul my groceries home is supposed to take care of all the plastic bags in my house...but nothing could be further from the truth. So what am I supposed to do with all of the other plastic bags? I’m talking bread, produce dry cleaning, toilet paper wrappers and newspaper bags, just to name a few.
Reduce
Well for starters I can reduce the amount of plastic bags I buy and use. This can be done in the case of sandwich bags (I still haven’t switched to the waste free lunch system yet...don’t tell Kate), freezer bags and even produce bags (the ones you pull off the roller to put your cucumber in).
Reuse
I can also reuse some of the plastic bags that come into my home. I have a friend who reuses her bread bags for produce at the grocery store. I also know someone who makes them into beach bags and door mats – she calls them knotty bags.
Since I’m no Martha Stewart, the real question is...can I recycle them along with the plastic grocery bags at my supermarket? I’m happy to answer....yes (but make sure you read the list of does and don’ts below)
Recycle
I’d like to give props to a terrific website called plasticbagrecycling.org. Not only does it give you information about recycling bags, but it also allows you to search for drop-off locations in your area. The one consistent request when it comes to recycling this type of plastic is that it’s CLEAN AND DRY. Here’s the list they provided on their site:
- Newspaper bags
- Dry cleaning bags
- Bread bags
- produce bags
- Toilet paper, napkin, and paper towel wraps
- Furniture wrap
- Electronic wrap
- Plastic retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed)
- Grocery bag
- Zip lock bags (remove hard components)
- Plastic cereal box liners
- Tyvek (no glue, labels, other material)
- Diaper wrap (packaging)
- Plastic shipping envelopes (remove labels)
- Case wrap (e.g., snacks, water bottles)
- All clean, dry bags labeled #2 or #4.
Do NOT include the following. The following are considered contaminants and could jeopardize recycling programs:
- NO food or cling wrap
- NO prepackaged food bags including frozen food bags (e.g., prewashed salad bags)
- NO film that has been painted or has excessive glue
- NO other bags or films
- NO bio-based or compostable plastic bags
No matter what your plastic bag situation is at home, always make the primary goal to keep plastic out of the landfill. Plastic bags are said to take hundreds of years to decompose, but in reality they never really go away at all, as they leave toxins in our soil and waters. I recommend hanging a cloth bag in the kitchen on a knob; start stuffing your plastic bags in there; and when it gets full... off to the grocery to do green and feel good!
