Do you have a collection of plastic bags you're holding onto for recycling?

First, thank you for not placing them in your curbside recycling. They make a mess at the sorting facility, endangering the workers there who have to hand-cut them out of the machinery when they get tangled. Soft plastics of any kind are not recyclable with our curbside programs in the state of MA (and in most states).

So how can they be recycled?

Most area retailers (grocery stores) have resumed collection of plastic grocery bags, and we've compiled a list for you to download.

What kinds of soft plastics are recyclable like this? The American Chemistry Council has the best visual guide for your reference. If you don't see your soft plastic in this guide, please assume it is therefore trash.

We also accept this kind of soft plastic wrap and plastic bags at the monthly recycling center, but we end up using volunteers to drive the plastics we collect to the same local grocery stores you can take it to, so please consider taking them there yourself.

Is it worth it to separate out these bags from your trash and recycle them? Podcasts and reports from Earth911