Plastic Bags & Film

The recycling of post-consumer plastic bags, wraps and film (a category generally known as plastic film)—surpassed 1 billion pounds annually in 2011, according to a national report conducted by Moore Recycling Associates, Inc.

This represents a 55 percent increase since 2005 when Moore Recycling began tracking this category of recycling.

Post-consumer plastic film is recycled to make lumber for backyard decks and fences, lawn and garden products, pallets, crates, containers, piping, automotive applications and plastic bags.

Plastic Bags & Film Recycling Resources:

• Plasticbagrecycling.org provides broad resources on establishing plastic bag and film drop-off recycling programs for consumers and businesses
  www.plasticbagrecycling.org

• This study quantifies the percentage of the U.S. population that has access to programs that collect flexible plastic packaging, such as bags, wraps and other film, for recycling.
  http://plastics.americanchemistry.com/Education-Resources/Publications/2012-Plastic-Film-and-Bag-Recycling-Collection-National-Reach-Study.pdf

• The 2011 National Post-Consumer Recycled Plastic Bag and Film Report is the seventh annual U.S. report on pounds of plastic bags and film recovered for recycling.
  http://plastics.americanchemistry.com/Education-Resources/Publications/2011-National-Post-Consumer-Recycled-Plastic-Bag-and-Film-Report.pdf

• A Bag’s Life is a public educational campaign to promote reducing, reusing and recycling plastic bags and film
  http://www.abagslife.com/

• This Resource Recycling article reviews plastic bag recycling options
  http://www.moorerecycling.com/Belluccibags.pdf

• The Canadian Plastics Industry Association provides broad information on reuse and recycling of plastic bags
  http://www.plastics.ca/Recycling/PlasticBags/index.php

• PlasticBagRecycling.org has published case studies of successful collection programs for plastic bags and film in California, Minnesota, Illinois and Arizona.
  http://www.plasticbagrecycling.org/plasticbag/successstories.html