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| Drop it in the recycling bin, Fido! |
When it comes to plastic bags and wraps, here's the lowdown on what you can and cannot recycle:
Can:
- Bags marked #2 or #4. But make sure they are clean and dry.
- Produce bags
- Dry cleaning bags (that one was a surprise to me)
- Bread bags
- The plastic packaging wrap around bulk foods and beverages
- The plastic packaging wrap around disposable products like napkins, toilet paper, paper towels, and diapers
- Newspaper bags
- And, of course, bags from grocery stores and retailers
For me, most of the above is a moot point since we don't use plastic produce bags, retail bags, paper towels, paper napkins, or disposable diapers. But I did not realize I could recycle the wrapping around toilet paper. I feel horrible about all the times I've thrown it in the trash.
Cannot:
- Plastic cling wrap (aluminum foil is recyclable, so it's often a preferable choice to plastic)
- Prepackaged food bags used for frozen foods and pre-washed salads and veggies
- Any plastic that has been painted or has a lot of gluey, sticky residue
Here's another area where I've been wrong. I've been tossing my frozen veggie bags into the recycling bin. Oops. Let's face it: it's confusing and there's always something new to learn. But don't give up! As I often say, every drop in the bucket counts. That means every recycled piece of plastic that stays out of the landfill counts, too. Let's do this, folks. Let's make a difference!
