Air Pillows
- DON’T put them in curbside recycling
- DO drop off at local plastic film recycling drop-off locations (see below)
- DO deflate them before dropping off for recycling
About These Items
Air pillows are sometimes used as protective filler in boxes when shipping small or fragile items. These disposable “pillows” are made of polyethylene plastic film like plastic shopping bags. While they are not accepted by the city of Pittsburgh’s curbside recycling, they can be dropped off at local collection bins for plastic film recycling (see below). Always deflate these pillows before dropping off for recycling.
Drop them off at dedicated local locations.
There are some local locations where you can drop off plastic bags and other flexible film plastics, including air pillows. Deflate these pillows before placing in a recycling bin. The Plastic Film Recycling.org site keeps an up-to-date list of locations that is searchable by zip code.
These local chains typically have plastic film collection bins on site:
- Giant Eagle
- Target
- Lowe’s
- Whole Foods
Reduce by consolidating your online shopping.
Some online retailers like Amazon give you options to choose possibly slower shipping to have your items grouped together in a single box. This could reduce the need for air pillow fillers.
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