Plastic film
What items can we take?
This category includes all clean and stretchy thin plastics. In order to be properly recycled, please shake out or rinse it to remove any food and make sure it's dry to avoid mold.
Ziploc
Bubble wrap
Air pillows
Grocery bags
Prime shippers
Bread bags
Newspaper bags
Produce bags
Outer wrapping
Dry cleaning bags
Cereal bags
Outer packaging
Poly-bags
Six pack rings
Plastic food wrap
Frozen food bags
What isn’t in this category?
While the category includes a ton, any hard plastic, dirty film, or anything made of mixed material isn't included (shiny metallic material too).
Firm plastic
Many cities accept hard plastic for recycling - check with your local provider!
Paper + plastic
Since these are mixed materials, they can't be easily recycled.
Bags with silver inside
Since these are mixed materials, they can't be easily recycled.
Chip bags
Since these are mixed materials, they can't be easily recycled.
Granola bar wrappers
Since these are mixed materials, they can't be easily recycled.
Squeezable food containers
These are too difficult to clean to be recycled.
Metallic bubble wrap
Since these are mixed materials, they can't be easily recycled.
Insulated bags
Since these are mixed materials, they can't be easily recycled.
Blister packs
Hard semi-flexible packaging around things like batteries and electronics.
Vinyl
Latex
Woven plastic sacks
Best to reuse these! Or throw them away if unusable.
Non-woven plastic totes
Best to reuse these! Or throw them away if damaged.
Bottle caps
These are under 3 inches and so can't be recycled curbside!
Pull caps
These are under 3 inches and so can't be recycled curbside!
Produce netting
These are made of a non-recyclable nylon
Plastic film.
Thin plastics, or plastic film, are light-weight, crunchable, flexible plastic material made from the by-products of oil refinement.
The city can take just a few items or you could drive around looking for a drop off. With Ridwell, we will take everything off your hands, from your doorstep.
As a core category, you will have a dedicated bag for plastic film. It is one of the most impactful for reducing household waste and global pollution.
If it's clean, dry, and stretchy, it goes in the plastic film!
Why it shouldn’t be thrown away or recycled curbside
Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose, leaking pollutants into our soil and water. Not only is this threatening to our health and safety but also to marine life.
While some cities (like Seattle) can recycle grocery and newspaper bags, more often then not, they end up splitting apart in the process and having to be thrown away.
Why is Ridwell better?
Ridwell can take all sorts of thin plastics from ziploc to grocery bags, bubble wrap to dry cleaning bags. You don't have to think about what goes where or tie it in a larger bag.
Plastics that can be recycled are first sorted, shredded, and rid of any impurities like paper. These shreds are then melted and formed into pellets, which can be made into other products.
It can also be turned into more practical things like new packaging, composite decking material, and trash can liners!