Until recently, this clean, uniform, bulk material had decent markets. Many large retailers utilize large quantities of plastic wrapping to secure boxes onto pallets. Why have grocers like Berkeley Bowl, or recycling centers like the one in the City of El Cerrito, stopped collecting plastic film?įrom 2007 to 2019, the state of California mandated stores to collect plastic bags for recycling via SB 270. This law significantly reduced the amount of disposable bags, however, other kinds of plastic film remain abundant. As a result, grocery stores, liquor stores, convenience stores, and pharmacies, were prohibited from distributing single-use carry-out bags. This was challenged by the plastic bag industry who ran a ballot measure in 2016, Prop 67, in which voters ratified the legislative action. ![]() This movement inspired California to pass the Single-Use Carryout Bag Ban (SB 270) through legislative action in 2014. ![]() This strategy was followed by San Francisco and later, Alameda County. In 2009, the Ecology Center piloted a disposable bag reduction strategy, banning plastic bags and charging for compostable or recyclable ones, at our farmers markets. ![]() Today there are dozens of new applications of flexible plastic packaging used in hundreds or thousands of ways. Online purchasing drove significant increases in plastic shipping bags and fillers. Newspapers moved from delivering their papers with just a rubber band to delivering in a plastic sleeve, rain or shine. In the 2000s, a new shift in packaging began moving food and other consumer goods out of boxboard, and even cans, and into new kinds of plastic bags and pouches. Whether it be in the kitchen cupboard, the landfill, or the ocean, plastic is piling up. The plastics industry sold consumers and retailers on the convenience of “disposable” plastics. Plastic bags are relatively strong, incredibly cheap, waterproof, and, perhaps most importantly, made to be thrown away. Since the 1980s, disposable plastic film has provided a convenient way to bag groceries and carry purchases, transforming the way we shop and store our items. Understanding that it is not always that simple, we’ve compiled additional info and answers to some of your pressing questions about plastic bags and film: So what can you do? The best solution is to recycle what is accepted, and to refuse and/or reduce the rest! Whether it is in use, recycled, landfilled, or in micro pieces in the environment, there is no “away” when we throw out plastic. We also know that all plastic ever manufactured is still on this planet. While there were significant roadblocks and a serious lack of transparency, we were able to conclude that, like many other plastics, we can’t guarantee that plastic film is getting recycled, even if it is clean, dry, and disposed of in the “right” place. ![]() In short, we don’t know the final destination of most plastic film because recycling is an ever-changing industry, in which markets are constantly shifting. It has taken our staff months to track down answers about where plastic bags, and other plastic films, end up when collected at local stores. Where can I take my plastic bags and film? Is it being recycled? Where does it go?įiguring out what to do with what the industry calls film plastic-produce bags, plastic wrap, dry cleaning bags, padded shipping envelopes, trash can liners, food pouches, newspaper bags, and other flexible plastic packaging-is a difficult task, but the Ecology Center is here to help. The Ecology Center Helpdesk fields dozens of calls each month highlighting the challenges that come with plastic disposal. More than 4.83 million tons of plastic film has been generated to date and only about 9.1% of that plastic is recycled. In our consumer world, plastic is everywhere and deciding what to do with it, can be confusing. It can feel impossible to get away from using plastic.
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