Are Plastic Bags Accepted for Recycling?

Plastic bags are recyclable — but they are not accepted in your curbside recycling bin. Many grocery and department stores will accept plastic bags and wrap/film for recycling.

Putting plastic bags in your home recycling bin is one of the most common and costly recycling mistakes people make.

Here’s what most people get wrong — and what you need to know:

• Plastic bags won’t be recycled if you toss them in your curbside bin — they’ll go straight to landfill
• The only correct way to recycle them is through store drop-off bins at retailers like Walmart and Target
• Not all plastic film qualifies — frozen food bags, salad bags, and chip wrappers are always rejected
• A 3-second stretch test tells you instantly whether your bag is drop-off eligible or trash
• Putting recyclables inside a plastic bag is just as harmful as putting the bag in the bin alone
• Over 380 billion plastic bags are used in the U.S. every year — yet fewer than 5% are recycled correctly

Clear Answer: Are Plastic Bags Accepted for Recycling?

Yes — but only through store drop-off programs, not curbside bins.

Generally, plastic bags and wraps, electronics, and textiles cannot go in a curbside recycling bin.

However, these items are recyclable, but they cannot go in your household recycling bin. Retail and grocery stores often accept these materials for recycling.

Here’s the fast-reference breakdown:

Why Plastic Bags Cannot Go in Curbside Bins

Most plastic bags are made from #2 (HDPE) or #4 (LDPE) plastic, which are recyclable — but not through your curbside bin. They tangle machinery in recycling facilities, cause costly shutdowns, and contaminate other materials like paper and cardboard.

Rigid plastics, like gallon milk containers, are easily processed by machine — carried by conveyor belts and machine sorted. But throwing plastic bags into the mix wreaks havoc on these machines. The bags bend easily and get snagged in belts. They jam machinery and need to be cleared by hand.

The scale of the problem is striking. Over 380 billion plastic bags and wraps are used in the U.S. annually, according to the EPA, yet less than 5% are properly recycled.

There is also an important rule to remember about bagging other recyclables. You should never be adding small plastic shopping bags filled with recyclables into your bin. Bagging items in these small bags ends up making it difficult for facilities to sort the items, and it is likely that these bags will be sent to landfill along with all the other viable recyclables inside.

Where to Recycle Plastic Bags: Store Drop-Off Programs

In the US, plastic bags, wraps, and films aren’t accepted in most curbside or drop-off programs. However, many of these packages are eligible for Store Drop-off recycling. Bring your packages with the Store Drop-off label to participating retailers and place them in the collection bins near the front of the store.

Major retailers with collection bins include Target, Walmart, Lidl, and Wegmans. Anyone can bring eligible plastic film to any participating retail store — you do not need to return it to the original retailer.

How to find a drop-off near you:

• NexTrex Directory — nextrex.com/view/findadropoff (the current primary U.S. locator)
• Earth911 — Earth911.com (search by ZIP code)
• How2Recycle — how2recycle.info

Note: The Film Drop-off Directory at bagandfilmrecycling.org is no longer available as of April 2026. Use NexTrex as the recommended replacement.

Types of Plastic Film Accepted vs. Not Accepted

Look for flexible polyethylene-based plastics, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE, or #2 plastic) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE, or #4 plastic). These are the only film types accepted at store drop-off bins.

Quick Test: If the plastic stretches when you pull it, it likely qualifies for store drop-off. If it tears or crinkles, it cannot be recycled this way.

✅ Accepted at Store Drop-Off (Clean & Dry)

• Grocery/retail shopping bags (remove receipts and strings)
• Produce bags (remove labels)
• Bread bags
• Cereal box liners (stretch-type only)
• Bubble wrap
• Air pillows from shipping (deflate first)
• Dry cleaning bags
• Newspaper bags
• Zip-top/Ziploc bags (food residue-free)
• Overwrap from paper towels, toilet paper, or napkins
• Plastic mailers (plastic exterior only — no paper)
• Amazon and similar plastic film mailers

❌ NOT Accepted (Even at Store Drop-Offs)

The following types of bags and film are NOT recyclable: salad bags, snack bags and wrappers (chips, candy, etc.), pouches (cheese, tuna, trail mix, etc.), foil coffee bags, frozen food bags, pet food bags, floral wrap (cellophane), cling wrap, and landscape bags (fertilizer, mulch, topsoil, etc.).

Also excluded: biodegradable or compostable bags, bags with food residue, and mailers with a paper exterior mixed with bubble wrap interior. Compostable plastics are not intended for recycling and can contaminate and disrupt the recycling stream if mixed with non-compostable plastics.

The How2Recycle Store Drop-Off Label

The How2Recycle Store Drop-Off (SDO) label is your most reliable guide at the point of purchase. Redesigned for consumer clarity and compliance with new legislation, the refreshed Store Drop-off label no longer includes the chasing arrows symbol. Look for a bin icon on your flexible packaging instead.

After collection, the flexible plastic is baled and sold to independent companies, which begin the process of turning these PE films into tiny plastic pellets. These pellets can become synthetic lumber for decking or park benches, or they might be recycled directly into another film, pouch, or bag form.

Best Practices for Plastic Bag Recycling

1. Never put loose plastic bags in your curbside bin — even stuffed with recyclables, they cause mechanical damage and contamination.
2. Collect and bundle — gather all clean, dry plastic films into one bag, then take the bundle to a drop-off.
3. Do the stretch test — if it stretches, it’s likely drop-off eligible. If it tears or crinkles, discard it.
4. Look for the How2Recycle Store Drop-Off label on packaging before your next store trip.
5. Keep bags clean and dry — all materials should be clean and dry. If your bags are not completely clean of food residue, they will contaminate the entire batch.
6. Remove labels and strings from bags before recycling.
7. Reduce first — the EPA’s preferred approach is to use reusable bags and cut plastic bag use altogether.

Common Mistakes & Misconceptions

Recent Updates (2025–2026)

• April 2026 (bagandfilmrecycling.org): The Film Drop-off Directory resource is no longer available. The NexTrex Directory is now the recommended alternative.
• January 2026 (U.S. EPA): The EPA Frequent Questions on Recycling page confirms that plastic bags and wraps generally cannot go in curbside bins.
• 2025 (State EPR Laws): By late 2025, California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington had rolled out Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs for packaging, making producers responsible for post-consumer packaging and pushing investment into technology that tackles hard-to-recycle plastics.
• April 2025 (How2Recycle): How2Recycle unveiled a redesigned Store Drop-Off label featuring a bin icon rather than the traditional chasing arrows symbol, to comply with California’s SB 343 legislation.

FAQs

Conclusion

The answer is simple: plastic bags are recyclable, just not in your curbside bin. Take clean, dry plastic film to your nearest grocery or retail store drop-off, look for the How2Recycle Store Drop-Off label, and do the quick stretch test when in doubt. These small habits make a real difference in keeping sorting equipment running and recyclables out of landfills.

When in doubt about your specific area, always check with your local recycling provider — rules can vary by municipality.

Confirmed Sources

All information verified from officially published sources as of April 2026. Local rules may vary — always confirm with your municipal recycling provider.