What to do with Extra Plastic Bags? Response to Reader Question

“A co-worker of mine has collected plastic bags for the past 3 years. He says we might need them. Well now they are taking up to much space. I want to recycle them. Can i put them with the rest of the office items i recycle?”

- Lauren, Green Philly Blog Reader

Ahh, Lauren. You must be still frustrated over how Philly hasn’t passed a Plastic Bag Ban, just like me! Plastic Bags…a highly un-recycled, taking up to 1000 years to degrade…they’re problematic and harm wildlife.

Unfortunately you can NOT recycle plastic bags in Philadelphia city limits… along with Styrofoam,  PVC pipe, packing inserts & “peanuts.”

Therefore, it’s very likely that you can’t put them out with office recycling. What you CAN do with them instead:

• Reuse them at the grocery store if you forget your reusable bag
• Recycle them at Grocery Stores – Whole Foods, Genuardi’s, Giant, ShopRite & many other stores have bins to recycle plastic bags
• Use them for liners in your household trashcans – but you can typically ‘empty’ garbage into one bigger bag instead of constantly using new bags to line
• Animal Shelters like PAWS need them for doggie doo or cat litter

Most importantly – encourage your co-worker to stop accepting bags & switch to reusable!

Posted by Julie

Related posts:

1. No More Plastic Bags, Philadelphia! (almost…)
2. Recycle your Laptop – Response to Reader Question
3. Plastic Bag Bans: Can Philly Catch On?
4. Plastic Bag Ban Banned: Pro-Plastic Philadelphia & ShopRite Protests?
5. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag)