Don't bag your recycling, Highland Park. Here's why.
Recyclable items should be placed loosely in recycle cart, without a bag. All types of plastic bags and plastic wraps are not allowed in the recycle cart because they cause major problems at the recycling facility.
Bags hinder the recycling process by:
• Wrapping around the equipment at the sorting facility. Plastic bags damage machines and cause shutdowns, wasting time and tax dollars.
• Plastic bags hinder the process of sorting recyclables. Recyclables collected in Highland Park's recycle carts are taken to Lakeshore's materials recovery facility (MRF) where machines are used to sort items by material. Bagged recyclables don't get sorted, they are sent to the landfill instead.
This video does a good job of showing some of the problems that happen at the recycling facility when plastic bags are placed in the recycling cart.
Video courtesy of DNA Info Chicago
Where to Recycle Plastic Bags
All kinds of plastics and wraps that aren't recyclable at home are recyclable at local grocery and major retailers like Jewel-Osco. Look for the dropoff bins near the front doors.
Take all your clean plastic bags, ziplock bags, bubble wrap, bread bags, dry cleaner bags, and even the plastic wrap from toilet paper and paper towels.
How can I store and dispose of my recyclables without a bag?
1. Since your recyclables need to be clean of food and liquids, there really isn't a need for a bag. Just place them right into your bin, box, or paper bag and then drop them into the recycling cart.
Or
2. Alternatively, you can collect recyclables in a bag and then empty the recyclables from the bag into your recycle cart. Bags can be reused or thrown into the garbage cart.
For worker safety, bagged recyclables will not be sorted, they will be diverted directly to the landfill.
