PROBLEM: Plastic bags are the #1 source of contamination in Newton’s recycling. Do not bag your recyclables using plastic bags. Plastic bags get wrapped around the machines that sort and move materials at the processing center. This halts sorting until the plastic bags are removed by hand from the machines, a task that decreases efficiency and creates a safety risk for workers.
SOLUTION: Drop off plastic bags at participating retailers for recycling. Find a list of local retailers at plasticfilmrecycling.org. Avoid plastic shopping bags all together by investing in reusable bags and taking them on all of your shopping trips.
For more information on how to best dispose of unwanted materials, go to Newton Sustainable Materials Management.
Recently on Twitter