Recycling plastic film is more complicated than recycling other types of plastics; it’s all about type, quality, and volume as far as markets go, and whether CSWD decides to collect a material is based on whether more than one stable market exists, the location of the markets, and the economic and environmental costs of collecting and shipping the material.

Currently, there are no manufacturers in Vermont that use used plastic film as a feedstock, so any film that is collected has to be shipped to another state or a Canadian province. Plus, our recycling facility in Williston is not set up to accept plastic bags. In fact, any empty plastic bags you recycle in your blue bin will get clogged up in the machinary that separates all the recyclables. **Please Note: shredded paper is accepted in clear plastic bags because it is the first thing pulled off the recycling line. The shredded paper is emptied into a large bunker and the plastic bags are thrown away.

Also, plastic bags or plastic film wrap is not a homogeneous material further complicating the end market of the material. A variety of plastic resins in a variety of colors are used to make a variety of film products, such as grocery bags, bread bags, bubble wrap, dry cleaning bags, agricultural films (e.g., hay bale wrap, silage bags), consumer paper packaging (e.g., for toilet paper), pallet wrap, tarps, newspaper bags, garment bags, snack bags (e.g., potato chip bags), mailing pouches, food wrap, and more.

Plastic films are often contaminated by dirt, moisture, food, printing, stickers, receipts, etc. making it difficult to recycle, and it takes a LOT of film of one type to make one bale (approximately 1,100 pounds). Some local businesses do generate enough clean film waste of one type to directly market their material.

We have been monitoring the plastic film markets since 1992 and reviewing the logistics of collecting and aggregating film. We are hoping to accept certain film plastics in the future through an expanded program for construction and demolition debris recycling , but that’s a couple years down the road.

For now, plastic grocery bag recycling through grocery stores is all that’s available locally to the general public. Click here for local grocery stores that accept plastic bags for recycling.

Reduce or Reuse: You can also reuse your plastic bags or reduce your use of them. Purchase and use reusable shopping bags instead!