A Reminder About Plastic Bags and Recycling

Philadelphia’s curbside recycling participationis at an all time high.

However, one of the biggest problems we face with keeping our recycling stream clean is PLASTIC BAGS.

Many people assume (innocently enough) that plastic bags are recyclable, and put them in their recycling bins. Although this assumption is understandable, plastic bags are NOT recyclable at curbside.Plastic bags tear and wrap around the moving parts in recycling processing machines and systems, leading to increased maintenance costs, equipment damage, and even worker safety issues.So, please keep plastic bags OUT of your blue recycling bins.In order to safely recycle plastic bags return them to drop off locations at specially-marked recycling bins located at the front of most supermarkets, large grocery or big box stores (e.g. Walmart). For more information on proper plastic bag recycling visit: https://livegreen.recyclebank.com/earn/the-power-of-plasticsWe need your help keeping Philadelphia’s recycling stream clean by making sure plastic bags stay OUT of your curbside recycling container or blue bin. And think about reducing your use of single-use plastic bags by using long-life reusable bags instead. Thank you for your continued recycling efforts, commitment to making our neighborhood, and your help at eliminating of plastic bags from our curbside recycling stream.Sincerely,Phil Bresee, Cit of Philadelphia Recycling Director —