CHANGING HAABITTS: Recycling Plastic Films

Do you wishfully toss your clear plastic films (ziptop bags, bread bags, plastic wrap, mailers and other packaging) in the recycling bin, hoping that even though they don't bear the appropriate number, they'll somehow be spared from the landfill?  I used to do that constantly to assuage my own concerns about the amount of plastic piling up in our rubbish and recycling bins.  But after our recent move, I was motivated by the reams of plastic moving wrap balled up in our garage to research appropriate ways to recycle plastic films.  And guess what?  It's actually quite easy to do.  I found that many retailers--including Target, Lowe's, Wal-Mart, and a number of grocery chains in our area--readily accept for recycling plastic shopping bags and all clean, dry plastic films.  See plasticfilmrecycling.org to find recycling locations in your area.

Most household plastic films can be recycled!  

We've gotten in the habit of maintaining a secondary recycling bin just for plastic films, and I've been amazed--and alarmed!--to see how quickly the plastic piles up.  Even though we make a concerted effort to avoid plastics whenever we can, it's virtually impossible to find toilet paper, paper towels, salad greens, bread, chips and crackers, cheese, meat, fish and frozen foods that aren't packaged in plastic.  Recycling isn't the ideal solution to household plastics disposal because it requires added resources and releases toxins.  But for now, it's a better solution than allowing these materials to persist in landfills or find their way into our water supplies.  And concurrently, you can reduce your consumption of plastic films by:  

• Invest in glass and/or stainless steel leftover and lunch containers.  We love the stainless steel divided lunch boxes and to-go canisters from U-Konserve (formerly Kids Konserve), and good old Pyrex tempered glassware with lids.  I'm still using several pyrex baking dishes that belonged to my grandmother, and many can be found at secondhand shops for a steal.
• Position yourself to refuse single-use plastic bags by carrying your own stash of reusable bags wherever you go.  I tuck a set like this into my handbag and use the silky, washable bags for toting everything from groceries and material samples to library books and beach toys.
• Buy used goods, clothing, and furniture whenever you can.  I love to justify my midcentury furniture splurges by thinking about how much packaging I'm saving.  We're currently on a Lego kick at our house, and after a recent birthday I was shocked to see how much plastic packaging a single Lego kit produced.  In one case, it was no less than TEN clear plastic bags!  That's nuts.
• Stock your pantry from the grocery store's bulk section whenever possible, bringing your own reusable containers for grains, flours, beans, nuts, cereals and snacks.  I'll admit that being equipped with reusable containers in advance of every grocery run is beyond me, but I aspire to it.  
• Buy liquid soaps and powdered detergents from the bulk section, refilling your own containers each time you need to restock.
• Buy selectively from online retailers!  As tempting as it may be to order everything you can from online vendors who promise to deliver your goods in two days or less, such deliveries employ gratuitous amounts of single-use plastics in the form of mailers, packing pillows, tape, and goods packaging.