The plastic insulation is used in many delivery services, especially meal box style systems, to keep items cold.

This belongs in the trash.

This is something that might change in time. Be sure to check this page every so often to see if the material can now be recycled.

 

WHY ARE THEY GARBAGE? it says right there on the package to place it into the recycling and it has the recycling logo right there on it.

To understand why it cannot go into your recycling, you need to see how your recyclables are actually sorted by the facility that receives your recyclables after collected by the City of Madison. 

Basically, these stringy foamy sheets of plastic will get tangled in the sorting equipment or get mis-sorted into the paper products.  Once you watch the video linked to above, it will become more clear why that will happen.

The "recycling logo" doesn't actually mean something's okay to recycle in your cart at home. The chasing arrows logo with a number in it on a plastic item is only really telling you what kind of plastic that particular item is made from.   It's technically called the "resin ID."

PET (or #1 plastic) is a highly recyclable plastic when it is in the shape of your milk jugs, or other containers that can bounce through material recovery facilities.

However, PET plastic in the the form of foamy sheets like this, recovery systems like the ones where Madison's material goes can't quite fish these materials out effectively.

 

how can they say it can be recycled when i can't recycle it?

Recycling isn't the same throughout the country.  Rules, machinery, sorting capability, and laws all vary.  Where the material goes varies, too.

This material may very well be recyclable in other communities. 

But for right now, we can't do it here.

This is a good example about how materials and packaging change faster than the recovery industry can adapt - or faster than our nation's decentralized recycling system can fully adapt to new products.

 

what can i do to make packaging like this recyclable in Madison?

You can contact the manufacturer of the packaging to let them know that despite what their labeling says, you can't recycle it here - so what are they going to do to fix it to make it more widely accepted.

As a result of consumers like you reaching out to companies, they will contact the City of Madison asking follow up questions.  We will put them in touch with the recovery facility we work with as well.

We all benefit when more materials can be recovered, and your voice as a consumer matters.