Recyclable Plastic Bags – Stuff The Jug
Posted on: 7 August 2015
Some commonly forgotten items, even by the most passionate recycler, are all the bags and plastic packaging used today. Here's a useful tip to help you keep these non-biodegradable and toxic items out of the landfill.
Recycling in the U.S. Gradually Improving
Recycling efforts in the United States have improved over the last 20 years, but on the whole the country still lags far behind many European nations. By intensifying recycling efforts, some European countries have all but eliminated the need for public landfills.
While there has been some success in reducing the amounts of waste dumped in local landfills, there is still a great deal of room for improvement. One of the items that presents a problem for recycling efforts are plastic bags
What is Recyclable?
You may not be aware of all the things that are actually recyclable. But, to help make it easier for you, just about every item that is will have a triangle shaped symbol on the package.
Many environmentally conscious companies clearly post a note on their packaging that everything is made of recyclable materials, including the plastic bags. Plastic grocery bags all have the recycle symbol, as do the bags used for cereal.
But, Plastic Bags Are Listed as "Do Not Put in Bin"
Although most plastic bags used today are recyclable, they are commonly listed on curbside instructional flyers as items that you should not put in your recycle bin. The reasoning is very simple.
The bags are so lightweight that they can blow out of your recycle container creating a litter problem. So, what alternative do you have to sticking these toxic plastic items in your regular garbage where they end up in a landfill?
Stuff Your Jugs
Here is a trick you can use to keep these toxic bags out of the landfill, and keep them from blowing all over your neighborhood. This encompasses all plastic grocery and cereal bags, along with other plastic packaging material like sandwich bags.
Stuff them inside milk jugs, coffee cans, or other plastic containers that are recyclable. Fill up the jug with used plastic bags, then stick the lid on the container and toss the whole jug into your curbside pickup bin.
Your recyclable plastic bags will not blow all over the neighborhood, and no toxic plastic will end up in the local landfill as a part of your household garbage. Your plastic bag problem will be solved.
Too often people seem unmotivated to do the right thing when it comes to recycling. If you're not taking the time to recycle all of the things you can, then you're simply part of the problem, not the solution.
As the country continues to focus on preventing toxic plastic from being dumped in landfills, more innovative packaging will emerge. Until then, don't add to the problem by just throwing all your plastic bags in your household garbage. Stuff them inside plastic jugs, and then toss them into your curbside-recycling bin. If you're looking for a curbside recycling company in your area, visit Industrial Services Inc.
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