Megan Hall: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I’m Megan Hall.
Have you ever seen one of those plastic bag collection boxes at the grocery store? Listener Phil Trevvett has, and he wants to know what happens to those bags.
Philip Trevvett: Is there any way to find out where those bags end up, and to ensure they’re being recycled?
We had Harrison Katz and Fatima Husain from our Possibly Team look into this. Welcome, Harrison and Fatima!
Harrison Katz: Hi, Megan!
Fatima Husain: Hello!
Megan Hall: So, before we talk about those plastic bag collection boxes, can you tell us why we can’t put those bags in our recycling bins at home?
Harrison Katz: Well, single-use plastic bags usually can’t be mixed with the rest of your recyclables because the thin material can fall into the crevices of recycling machines and cause a lot of damage.
Fatima Husain: Also, when plastic bags get tangled up with objects that CAN go through the recycling machines, those normally recyclable things have to get thrown out too.
Harrison Katz: In some cases, plastic bags in recycling bins can even cause an entire truckload of recycling to get thrown out!
Fatima Husain: All of these difficulties make it hard to recycle plastic bags. And most people don’t- recent studies say that only 9% of single-use plastic bags are recycled.
Megan Hall: So some plastic bags are actually recyclable?
Harrison Katz: Yes. The Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation has specialized locations for recycling plastic bags, although there aren’t many. You can also drop them in collection boxes at stores like CVS, Target, Whole Foods, and Lowes.
Megan Hall: And what happens after you’ve dropped off your bags?
Harrison Katz: In some cases, companies like Trex purchase recycled plastic bags and other thin plastic films from these retailers. They combine them with sawdust to make composite lumber for home decks, playground equipment, and other things.
Fatima Husain: Other companies also could process the recycled plastic films into new plastic bags, crates, pipes, and pallets.
Megan Hall: So, how is it that they can process plastic bags, but our recycling centers can’t?
Harrison Katz: Unlike large recycling centers, which have equipment primarily aimed at cans and paper, these vendors specialize in plastic films and have the machinery to handle the single-use plastics.
Megan Hall: Got it. So this is where all those collected bags go?
Fatima Husain: Unfortunately, the process is not very transparent. We know that some of the plastic film is repurposed, but don’t know how much of it. For example, if a plastic bag is wet or dirty, it’s likely that the whole lot will get ditched.
Megan Hall: So, how many of those bags I try to recycle actually end up in the landfill?
Harrison Katz: It depends on your location. The Ecology Center Helpdesk conducted an investigation in California, and found that many locations that claimed to recycle plastics were just trashing them instead.
Fatima Husain: On the other end of the spectrum, an NPR station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, tracked retail plastic recycling and found that most of it did end up being recycled into composite lumber.
Megan Hall: So, what would you say to Phil about where his plastic bags go?
Fatima Husain: Since the jury is still out on how much of the plastic actually gets recycled, you might be better off giving your own plastic bags a second, third, or fourth life at home.
Harrison Katz: Or you can bring a reusable bag for your next shopping trip. Some stores might even offer a little discount!
Megan Hall: Great! Thanks, Harrison and Fatima!
That’s it for today. For more information, or to ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, go to the public’s radio dot org slash possibly. Or subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts.
Possibly is a co-production of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown’s Climate Solutions Initiative, and the Public’s Radio.
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