Plastic Film Recycling Programs

• This program by Nextrex, gives you an opportunity to earn up to 4 park benches made from recycled plastic film for your community, and has the below added benefits.

  • • It promotes confidence that someone actually pays the grocery store for this material and recycles it.  

    • It highlights that you must recycle this material at the grocery store and not in the blue bin, and how much of your green bin is plastic film.

    • It has great documentation on what can be recycled specifically beyond grocery bags.  There is a lot. 

    • It will show how dramatically you can reduce the green and blue bin by diverting this material.

How It Works:

• If for a senior or Eagle Scout project then consult your advisor on doing this on behalf of and involving a group like your troop or the schools environmental clubs.  The more involved the more successful it will be.

• Go to https://nextrex.com/view/programs and fill out the application form for your organization.  Print the Recycling Challenge info sheet giving the details.

• Contamination is the enemy of recycling: Material should be dry and cleanish.  We materail can be set out to dry in a garage etc before dropping of as it will create mold potentially.  Really dirty material should just be thrown out.  Grocery bags covered in meat juice for instance.

• You may want to add a collection bin to public area for collection.  This should be monitored and market well as to what should and should not be recycled here.

• This can not only earn you park benches made from this material that would otherwise be landfill, for your town.  It acts as a great community education program to relay the following.

  • • What you can recycle is far more than just grocery bags like: All Amazon packaging, Produce bags, bread and tortilla bags, Bubble Wrap, Case and Pallet wrap for example: wrapping toilet paper, paper towels, and water bottles.

    • Basically any plastic wrap material that stretches when you pull it vs tears.

    • Anything marked as #4 plastic which is LDPE or Low Density Polyethylene.

    • Not only will these materials not be recycled if put in the blue bin, they can clog the machines at the recycling center and shut down the process.  This can potentially cause serious injuries to the workers, when they have to cut these materials out of the machines.  This is listed as one of the largest blue bin contamination issues and raises the cost of blue bin recycling, and makes it much less effective.  Consider passing out an info sheet or providing an electronic info sheet on this issue.

    • Recycling this materials prevents conversion of useable land to landfill, which is last estimated below as 10.6 million cubic yards for just this material.  https://www.waste360.com/waste-recycling/plastic-film-6025.

    • Reducing trash is still a far better solution to the problem.  Promote the use of re-useable bags and mesh produce bags.  When people start collecting this material they will quickly realize the shear volume of it.  This will encourage solidifying the habit of using re-useable bags.  Consider giving away high quality re-useable bags when people drop off at a collection event.  Some bags hold serious weight in groceries and add the convenience of less trips and less plastic handles digging into your hands.  Some are insulated and prevent ice cream and other frozen foods from melting when you have to make a stop on the way home.  Some are just elegant looking and will be used more as they are trendy looking.  

    • Consider having people sign a pledge or make one on your social media sight to use re-useable bags more often or to start using mesh produce bags for a reward of a re-useable bag.