Plastic Bag Recycling Facts
Plastic bags use less than 4 percent of the water needed to make paper bags, according to the American Chemistry Council. In 2006, more than 812 million pounds of plastic film and bags were recycled. Those plastic bags would provide enough film stock, or raw plastic material, to create 1.5 million composite lumber decks. Using plastic bags instead of paper bags creates five times less solid waste, according to the American Chemistry Council. Using a paper bag instead of a plastic bag creates double the carbon dioxide emissions.
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Considerations
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Plastic bags aren't the only type of plastic film that can be recycled. Types of recyclable plastic film include newspaper bags, dry-cleaning bags, bread bags, produce bags, paper towel wraps, furniture wrap, electronic wrap, plastic retail bags, zip-lock bags, Tyvek building wrap, plastic shipping envelopes and any bags labeled 2 or 4, according to the American Chemistry Council.
Warning
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Types of plastic bags that are considered to be contaminants and could harm recycling programs include food or cling wrap, prepackaged food bags such as frozen food bags, film that has been painted or has glue, compostable plastic bags and biodegradable, bags.These types of plastic bags should not be recycled.
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Where to Recycle
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Plastic bag recycling drop-off locations are located throughout the United States. To find a plastic bag recycling center near you, use the "Find a Drop-off Location" tool on the Plastic Bag Recycling website, which is sponsored by the American Chemistry Council.
Energy Savings
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Recycling plastic bags also saves twice as much energy as burning them in an incinerator, according to the recycling-revolution website.
Fun Fact
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Cities and states with plastic bag recycling programs include New York City, Chicago, Illinois, Rhode Island, Tuscon, Delaware, New York State and California, according to the American Chemistry Council.
Environmental Impact
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More than 267 different types of marine species have suffered from ingesting and being strangled by plastic objects like plastic bags, according to the United Nations Environment Programme. Many sea turtles who prey on jellyfish confuse plastic bags for their food. More than 1 million sea creatures are believed to die every year because of plastic bags, according to the recycling-revolution website.
Quantity
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Between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags are used every year, according to the National Geographic website. Plastic bags, straws and plastic beverage bottles are the most common type of beach debris, according to the National Debris Marine Monitoring Program.
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References
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