Plastic Shopping Bags
- DON’T put them in curbside recycling and try not to use them to bag other recyclables*
- DO say no to these bags at the store whenever you can
- DO carry reusable bags with you as an alternative
- DO drop these bags off at local plastic bag drop-off locations (see below)
About These Items
Plastic bags are constantly being offered to us in the city–at the store check-out or with our take-out box at a restaurant. Unfortunately, these bags can take hundreds of years to decompose and are a pervasive source of litter around our community. While the city currently allows residents to place their recyclables in plastic bags for curbside pickup, these bags also cause serious problems for Pittsburgh’s curbside recycling program because they get tangled up in the recycling processing equipment, so their use is discouraged. Extra plastic bags should not be included in your curbside recyclables.
There are several locations in the city where you can drop off these plastic bags for recycling. (see below)
Right now (May 2020) some grocery stores are not allowing reusable bags and some, like Giant Eagle, are only providing these disposable plastic bags. If you are finding yourself with too many plastic bags at home due to restrictions at your grocery store, consider bringing reusable bags in your car, leaving your items unbagged when you check out, and bagging at your car.
Don’t use them to bag curbside recyclables!
Blue plastic bags may seem like a convenient way to package up your rinsed and dried recycling for city pickup, and technically they are accepted by the city. BUT they get caught in the sorting equipment at the recycling processor. The best way to put your recyclables out for curbside pickup is with a blue recycling bin which can typically be purchased at home improvement stores.
If you must use blue plastic bags, keep extra blue bags out of your recycling and tie the bags holding your items very loosely. If your bags don’t open up easily they will end up in the pile of rejected materials along with the contents.
Drop them off at dedicated local locations.
There are some local locations where you can drop off plastic bags and other flexible film plastics. The Plastic Film Recycling.org site keeps an up-to-date list that is searchable by zip code.
These local chains typically have plastic bag collection bins on site:
- Giant Eagle
- Target
- Lowe’s
- Whole Foods
🛇 Can we reduce unrecyclable plastic packaging in PA?
Pennsylvania lawmakers have introduced legislation package aimed at reducing the glut of single-use plastics distributed in our state. If you would like to know more about this initiative and see if your lawmaker supports it, check out pahouse.com/zerowaste.
If the overuse of single-use plastics and their impact on our state environment and resources concern you, considering asking your representative to support the advancement of this legislation.
Was this post helpful?
- If this information helped you, please tap "Yes" below and then feel free to leave a comment or suggestion.
- If not, tap "no" and then please tell us how it could be more useful!
