Plastic Bag Recycling - Recycling - Streets & Recycling

PLASTIC Bag RECYCLING

The City of Madison now requires residents to recycle certain clean and dry bags. These bags must be recycled. You can recycle the bags in your green recycling cart by following the instructions below. You can also recycle your bags at one of the retailers on our list.

Note: You can still use plastic bags for trash. If you are using plastic grocery bags for your trash you can continue to do that.

It is important that all bags must be:

Empty
Clean
Dry

What Plastic Bags Do I Recycle?

The City of Madison program accepts the following types of plastic bags for recycling:

Grocery and retail bags
Newspaper delivery bags
Clean & dry bags labeled #2 and #4
Some plastic film wrapping from plastic water and beverage bottle casing
Some large pillow packing bubbles (pop the pillows before bundling)

how to tell if your plastic film/bags are recyclable

Trust your fingers.

If the plastic film is soft and stretchy like a retail or grocery store bag, it can be bundled into the "bag of bags" as directed below.

If the film is sticky, clingy, crinkly or, rips easily then it should go into the trash.

There is so much plastic film in our lives. And a lot of it is hard to tell if it can be recycled or not. After you feel the bags and you still aren't sure if it can be recycled, place it into the trash.

Do NOT Recycle

Online shopping shipment bags (often a thick white or gray bag)
Food wrap
Softener salt bags
Wrapping from meat products
Dark green or black trash bags
Compostable bioplastic film
Bubble wrap
Drawstring bags

Where Do I Recycle My Plastic Bags?

Bundle your bags before recycling.

Do not put loose plastic film or bags into the recycling cart. Loose plastic bags will get tangled in the sorting equipment at the recycling center.

Place plastic bags inside another plastic bag. Tie the bag of bags shut. The bags must be about the size of a basketball. Put the bundle into your green recycling cart.

The bundle will look something like this:

This is a grocery store bag filled with other plastic bags that is about the size of a basketball and tied closed.