Bags and stretchy film cannot go in a kerbside bin anywhere, because they wrap around sorting machinery and shut the line down. Store drop-off is the only collection route, and the evidence on whether it works is poor. Two independent tracker investigations found that most bundles dropped at large retailers ended up in landfills, incinerators or overseas rather than at recycling facilities. The material does have a genuine end market in composite decking, so the honest advice is to reduce and reuse first, then use a drop-off that reports where its material goes.
This is the one page on this site where we cannot give a clean answer, and pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
Why the bin is not an option
Sorting facilities separate materials on spinning screens and belts. Film wraps around the shafts, jams the screens and forces the line to stop while somebody cuts it out by hand.
Operators call this material a tangler, and it is the single most disruptive thing a household can put in a recycling bin. A bagged load of otherwise good recycling is frequently rejected outright for the same reason.
That part is not disputed by anyone. Film needs a separate stream, and the only consumer-facing one is a collection bin at a shop.
What the tracking studies found
Two news organisations tested the drop-off system independently by hiding trackers in bundles of clean film and following them for months.
- In the larger study, 46 trackers were dropped at large retailers across ten states. 23 last pinged at landfills or incinerators, seven stopped at transfer stations that do not sort film, six never left the store, three went to Southeast Asia and three were inconclusive.
- Four reached facilities involved in recycling plastic bags.
- A separate study tracked 30 bundles of packaging carrying the store drop-off symbol. More than 40 percent ended at US landfills, and four reached locations that can recycle plastic.
The consequences were immediate. The research organisation running the national directory of roughly 18,000 drop-off points removed the two named retailers pending confirmation that their material was being recycled rather than landfilled. The directory was later taken offline entirely, its operator citing a lack of real commitment from industry.
An industry body that had promoted store collection for years acknowledged that the concept does not work at the scale intended.
What that does and does not mean
It does not mean film is unrecyclable. Four bundles in each study did reach recycling facilities, and the end market for film is real.
It means the collection chain is unreliable and unverified, and that a bin labelled for recycling is not evidence that recycling happens. That is a different and more useful conclusion than either the industry or the headlines offered.
The stretch test
Only polyethylene film is accepted at drop-offs, and one test separates it from everything else.
Pull the material between your fingers. If it stretches, it belongs in the film stream. If it crinkles and tears, it does not.
| Stretchy polyethylene | Crinkly multilayer | Compostable film | Bubble and air pillows | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measurement | What it is and where it goes | Same | Same | Same |
| Examples | Carrier bags, bread bags, produce bags, case wrap, dry cleaning film | Crisp packets, pouches, cereal bags, sweet wrappers | Certified compostable liners and bags | Air pillows, bubble wrap, poly mailers |
| Stretch test | Stretches | Tears | Tears | Stretches |
| Drop-off | Accepted | Refused | Refused, contaminates | Accepted if clean and dry |
| Kerbside bin | Never | Never | Only where a programme says so | Never |
| Condition needed | Clean, dry, labels removed where possible | Deflate air pillows |
Compostable film is the trap. It looks like the others, is refused by film recyclers because it contaminates the melt, and is refused by most composters because they cannot verify certification at speed.
The end market that does exist
Recovered film goes mainly into composite decking and outdoor lumber, mixed with wood flour. One large manufacturer runs a schools and community collection programme that reports collected weights back to participants, which is a meaningfully different proposition from an unmonitored bin.
That matters for the practical advice. A drop-off attached to a named end user with reported volumes is worth using. An unlabelled bin at the door of a shop that cannot say where the material goes is worth less confidence.
What actually works, in order
- Refuse the bag. A reusable bag used enough times beats every recycling route on this page. This is not a slogan, it is what the tracking data implies.
- Reuse film at home. Bread bags, produce bags and mailers all have a second use, and reuse skips the broken part of the chain entirely.
- Give clean film to somebody who ships. Anyone selling online is short of packing material.
- Use a drop-off that reports results, such as a school or community programme tied to a named manufacturer.
- Use a store bin as a last resort, accepting that the evidence on outcomes is weak.
- Bin it if it is dirty, crinkly or compostable, because those contaminate every route above.
Common mistakes
- Putting film in the kerbside bin. It jams the machinery and can get the whole load rejected.
- Bagging your recycling. Same problem, and the commonest cause of a rejected collection.
- Assuming the symbol means collection. A store drop-off icon is an instruction, not a guarantee that anyone acted on it.
- Including crinkly wrappers. Crisp packets and pouches are multilayer and cannot be recycled with film.
- Adding compostable bags. They contaminate the film stream and are usually refused by composters too.
- Leaving film wet or greasy. Food residue disqualifies a whole bundle.
- Forgetting to deflate air pillows. They take enormous space and slow collection.
- Treating a full bin as success. The tracking studies exist precisely because a full bin proves nothing.
Where this sits
The general question of which stream any item belongs to is on the recycling hub. The relationship between end markets and collection rates, which is what this whole page is about, is set out in what actually gets recycled and in our note on what recycled material becomes.
How we produced this
The tracking figures come from two independent news investigations, one placing 46 trackers across ten states and one tracking 30 bundles, both reported in detail and both prompting responses from the organisations involved. We have reported their counts rather than their conclusions.
The directory removal and subsequent closure are documented in follow-up reporting. The industry acknowledgement about scale is quoted as reported rather than as our own characterisation.
We have deliberately kept the end market and the collection failure separate, because they are separate facts. Film is genuinely recyclable and genuinely goes into composite lumber. The chain that is supposed to get it there does not reliably work, and the responsible thing is to say both.
Drop-off availability and acceptance rules differ by retailer and region and are changing. Check the specific programme before assuming your material is wanted.
Frequently asked questions
Can plastic bags go in the recycling bin?
No, nowhere. Film wraps around the spinning screens and shafts in sorting facilities and forces the line to stop while it is cut out by hand. Operators call it a tangler, and a bagged load of otherwise good recycling is frequently rejected for the same reason.
Does store drop-off recycling actually work?
The evidence is poor. In one study 46 trackers were dropped at large retailers and 23 last pinged at landfills or incinerators, with only four reaching plastic bag recycling facilities. A second study of 30 bundles found more than 40 percent ended in US landfills.
Does that mean film cannot be recycled?
No. Four bundles in each study did reach recycling facilities and the end market is real, mainly composite decking mixed with wood flour. It means the collection chain is unreliable and unverified, not that the material is unrecyclable.
How do I tell which plastic film is accepted?
Pull it between your fingers. If it stretches it is polyethylene and belongs in the film stream. If it crinkles and tears it is multilayer packaging, like a crisp packet or pouch, and cannot be recycled with film.
Are bubble wrap and air pillows accepted?
Yes, where they are clean and dry, because both are stretchy polyethylene. Deflate air pillows first, since they take enormous space in a collection bin and slow the whole process down.
What about compostable bags?
They are the trap in this category. Film recyclers refuse them because they contaminate the melt, and most composters refuse them because certification cannot be verified at speed. They look identical to ordinary film, so keep them out of both streams.
What happened to the national drop-off directory?
After the tracking investigation, the organisation running the directory of roughly 18,000 locations removed two large retailers pending confirmation their material was being recycled. The directory was later taken offline entirely, its operator citing a lack of real commitment from industry.
Which drop-off points are worth using?
Ones tied to a named end user that report collected weights back, such as school and community programmes run with composite lumber manufacturers. An unlabelled bin at a shop door that cannot say where the material goes deserves less confidence.
What does film actually become?
Mainly composite decking and outdoor lumber, where recovered polyethylene is mixed with wood flour. That end market is established, which is why the material has value at all and why the collection failure is a logistics problem rather than a demand problem.
What should I do instead?
Refuse the bag where you can, reuse film at home, and give clean film to anyone who ships parcels. Those three skip the unreliable part of the chain entirely. Use a reporting drop-off next, a store bin last, and bin anything dirty, crinkly or compostable.