Reuse & Recycling

Did you know?

• Plastic shopping bags are a valuable resource that should never be thrown away.
• Plastic shopping bags are lightweight, waterproof, hygienic and inexpensive. They are one of the best options to carry your groceries, but only if you reuse and recycle them.
• Pieces of frozen natural gas, plastic shopping bags can be reused many times and recycled.
• For those who shop spontaneously or cannot wash and dry their reusable bags regularly to prevent bacterial build-up, plastic shopping bags are the best choice.
• For those who shop spontaneously or cannot wash and dry their reusable bags regularly to prevent bacterial build-up, plastic shopping bags are the best choice.
• 93% of Canadians reuse their bags two or more times. (Decmia Research)
• Over 90% will recycle if given the opportunity. (Decima Research)
• Bags represent less than .5% of litter and less than 1% of landfill.
• Bags enjoy very high reuse and recycling rates.  
• Reuse rates are very high. 50-60% of the bags distributed in Canada are reused two or more times; often to contain household garbage. (Stewardship Ontario)
• Unlike almost all reusable bags, plastic shopping bags are made in Canada, not China, creating jobs for Canadians.
• As in the recycling infrastructure builds, recycling rates for plastic shopping bags are beginning to soar. Rates in some provinces are very high – PEI- 57%; Alberta – 32%; British Columbia -35%; Nova Scotia – 50%.

Let us show you how we can all do a better job on reuse and recycling.

Reduce

• Don't take a bag when offered unless you need it.  
• Make sure that each bag holds at least 8 items.
• Don't double bag.
• Don't bag large items.
• Use size appropriate bags.
• Take your own bags to the store; just carry a few in your pocket or purse.
• Buy in bulk to reduce packaging.
• Use other options provided by retailers, such as cardboard boxes, bins, heavier reusable bags.
• Learn how to bag properly. See our proper bagging tips below. Proper bagging is fun!

Reuse

Most Canadians already reuse their bags at least two times. Let's see if we can get that up to 4 or 5 times and extend the life of this resource before it is recycled into another useful product.

The reuse possibilities for bags are endless. Let's explore a few reuses.

• as lunch bags for your kids - just get them to bring them home for use the next day
• for storing items on the shelf - they are great dust protectors
• as carry bags - jam a few in your pocket to use the next time you shop
• to cover food in place of plastic film in your fridge
• for packing when you travel to protect your clothing
• to carry books when it's raining outside
• as paint aprons and "bibs" for youngsters
• as kitchen catchers/garbage bags
• as a craft table cover
• as clean-up bags for pets.

Keep bags handy where ever you are so that when you make a purchase you can reuse your own bag. Where?

• in your car
• in your purse or pocket
• in your stroller
• with your pet supplies

Recycling

Did you know?

• That due to advances in technology, plastic shopping bags can be recycled into new bags or plastic lumber products like sub-laminate flooring, park benches, picnic tables and decking.
• That the market for recycled plastic bags is worth $2 billion and growing at 14% per year. And now demand for rcycled resin is so great, supply cannot keep up with demand.
• That most plastic shopping bags  produced today contain recycled content.
• That plastic lumber lasts longer than wood, doesn't rot or splinter, is slip-resistant, resists pests and it too can be recycled.  
• There is strong capacity to recycle plastic shopping bags right here in Canada. They do not have to be sent overseas like reusable bags to be recycled.
• Recycling rates are soaring due to massive investments. A network of major recyclers of plastic bags and film now exists across the country and continues to grow – Merlin Plastics in Western Canada, EFS-Plastics in Ontario, and Inteplast in Atlantic Canada.  
• Plastic shopping bags are also be collected and recycled by responsible retailers across the country who have put in place take-back-to-retail programs.

Tips:

• Recycling is easy. Visit Municipalities collecting bags on this site  to find out where you can recycle your bags.
• There are a number of options - curbside and in-store take-back programs with many large retailers across the country.
• Those involved read like a "who's who" of retailers in Canada - A&P, Metro, Loeb, Safeway, Overwaitea, Safeway, Save on Foods, Thrifty, London Drug, to name a few.

How Plastic Bags Are Recycled:

1. They take empty, used bags from Toronto's blue bin.
2. They wash them, dry them, and chop them up.
3. They mix in some virgin resin, then melt them down into pellets which are then sold to manufacturers.

How you can recycle plastic bags:

• Make sure that your bags are clean and empty
• Turn them inside out
• Stuff them into one bag
• Take them to a participating grocer and place them in their recycling bin, which is usually at the front of the store.

How do I prepare my plastic bags for municipal recycling?.

Proper Bagging:

1. Do you need a bag? Determine whether a bag is needed. Remember that most customers do not want a bag for one or two items. When no bag is used, “security” or “paid” stickers can be attached.

2. Don’t bag large, bulk items or items with handles. Don’t use a plastic bag on large, bulk items like 24 packs of cans/bottles, toiler paper or paper towels or for those items that already have handles.

3. Choose the right size bag. Choose the largest bag that you can fill out. It is better to use one large bag than two smaller bags. If you can’t fill out a large bag, drop down to the size that you can fill out.

4. Build a sturdy base. Use boxes and/or cans (almost any item) to form a base. When the base is tight, items don’t roll. Smaller, lightweight items, such as toothpaste, pudding, or candy, can be placed on top. Never place cans on the top of the bag.

5. Secure ‘crushable’ items. Crushable items, such as eggs, potato chips and bread, should be placed in a separate bag or bags. Eggs should always be placed at the bottom of the bag with bread, chips, etc. on top for increased stability.

6. Pack like items together. Sorting is convenient for customers and minimizes “wet wrap” or pre-bagging” which is a form of double bagging.

7. Isolate certain items before bagging. Despite sorting, it is sometimes necessary to prevent cross-contamination and odour/moisture transfer by isolating items like raw meats, fish and cleaning supplies using small “wet wrap” bags.

8. Fill space with small items. Use smaller items, like dental floss, pudding and spices to help fill the bag completely.

9. Fill-out bag properly. Fill-out each bag by laying larger items, such as 2-litre soft drink bottles down. A filled-out bag is more stable and easier to carry.

10. Eliminate double bagging. Today’s plastic bags are strong enough to be filled out to capacity – without the need to double bag them.

Here are some examples of products that were manufactured from recycled plastic bags: