sOFT PLASTICS RECYCLING

WasteNot’s Soft Plastics & Plastic Film Recycling service is making plastic recycling simple for your home, apartment, or condo.

How to recycle soft plastics

Let’s get this recycling thing right.

FILL.

Stuff the bag with dry, clean, & residue-free plastics.

PULL.

When full, pull the drawstring to tightly close the bag.

PLACE.

Place the bag on top of your bucket on any service day and it will be collected.

Our collected soft plastics are then sent to NexTrex, a company that recycles soft plastics to create eco-friendly outdoor products (like decking and furniture).

Plastic film ≠ TRash

Watch this video to learn more about what you can recycle with WasteNot’s soft plastics program and how the service works.

Learn more about the importance of plastic film recycling here.

What Plastic Film can be recycled?

WasteNot is able to recycle all plastic films that stretch easily, but not plastic that tears like paper, is shiny, or is crinkly.

Accepted plastics must be DRY, CLEAN, & RESIDUE-FREE.

    • Grocery & plastic bags

    • Bread & produce bags

    • Ice bags

    • Retail Bags

    • Bubble wrap

    • Stretch film & air pillows

    • Newspaper sleeves

    • Zipper & Resealable Food Storage bags

    • Plastic films labeled #2 or #4

    • Case overwrap & product wrap

    • Dry cleaning covers

    • Any other plastic that stretches when pulled

  • Common Contaminants:

    • Dirty plastic film

    • Wet plastic film

    • Stickers/labels

    • Meat packaging (including lunch meat)

    • Candy wrappers

    • Chip bags

    • Plastic that tears like paper, is shiny, or is crinkly

    Other:

    • Aluminum foil

    • Stickers, labels, tape

    • Styrofoam

    • Frozen food packaging

    • Metallized and multilayer packaging

    • Packing peanuts

    • Laminated film

    • Personal protective equipment like gloves & masks

    • Net/mesh produce bags

When in doubt, throw it out!

Why recycle Soft Plastics?

  • Separating soft plastics allows for greater retention of the material. It can be properly reused or recycled, minimizing the amount of plastic sent to landfills. By reducing the presence of plastic in landfills, you can prevent the pollution of land, rivers, and oceans too!

  • Recycling soft plastics also reduces consumption of raw materials and conserves resources. It allows for new plastic materials to be made, without using up more resources.

  • Reliable and sustainable glass recycling pickup with our 100% electric vehicles.

FAQ’s

  • You can request a collection of plastic film recycling in the WasteNot Shop! Simply add a bag to your order and it will be dropped off on your next service date, to return at your convenience.

  • This service is an add-on to your current compost service. You can select a one-time bag through the WasteNot Shop to begin recycling your soft plastics.

  • We accept all plastic film that stretches easily. You can see our full list of our soft plastic recycling do’s and don’ts here.

  • Our collected soft plastics are sent to NexTrex, a company that recycles soft plastics to create eco-friendly outdoor products (like decking and furniture).

  • Plastic is one of the largest forms of global pollution, making up about 18% of material in landfills and 40% of the world's ocean surfaces. Around 36% of that is classified as soft plastics, which are difficult to recycle in most municipal recycling program because they jam the sorting machine. Therefore, they are simply sent to the landfill instead. By separating soft plastics out of your standard recycling bin, the material can be properly reused or recycled to reduce plastic waste!

  • No! Once you receive your recycling bag, WasteNot will collect the full bag on any of your following service days. Just leave the full bag out with your compost bucket and we'll take it from there.