Are Trash Bags Recyclable? Best ways to get rid of trash bags

One of the most confusing questions we all have in our minds is whether we can recycle trash bags or not.

All of us have to use trash bags to get rid of our daily waste so often that we can not ignore what to do with these objects.

If you are here having this question in mind, don’t worry at all as we are going to answer all your queries in this article.

What are trash bags?

Trash bags are usually plastic bags which have been sliced into a very thin sheet that molds into the shape of the container very easily.

These bags are mostly placed inside trash cans to fully cover the carts and then trash is thrown inside the bins.

Even if your trash carts are completely filled, some cities are allowed by their government to place additional trash bags on the curbside, along with the stickers, which can be purchased from any departmental store around you.

What items are recyclable?

First we have to know what things can be recycled and what can not be recycled at any cost.

Recyclable items include paper and its products like magazines, diaries, office letters, paper cards, cardboard products like cardboard boxes without any impurity added, metal cans like aluminum food cans which are cleaned thoroughly, glass jars and bottles, and some kinds of plastics.

Are trash bags recyclable?

Most of the trash bags are not recyclable. It is because these plastic trash bags are made with low-density polyethylene. This material (low-density polyethylene) makes it difficult to recycle regular trash bags.

Curbside recycling will not help you in recycling these trash bags.

Also, if advised by your city’s waste management department, you can take these polythene bags to any of the recycling drop-off centers.

Some cities require trash bags to be submitted at your area’s departmental stores for recycling, so you can take them to the stores if you have been advised so.

What to do with plastic bags?

Plastic bags, although being useful for us in our daily lives for storing things, are very harmful for all other living beings and the environment

Since these things can not be decomposed easily, it is advised to reuse these bags as much as possible and use as few trash bags as you can.

Some of the black plastic bags can be recycled in the facilities, however, others cannot be recycled easily.

Now the question arises, what can we do with plastic bags after using them? A very small number of plastic bags we use are biodegradable.

However, it takes very long for a trash bag to be decomposed fully. So it is better to use compostable trash bags which are decomposed fully within 6 months after use.

Best ways to get rid of trash bags

Here are some ways you can make less use of trash bags, and even when you do, you don’t harm the environment greatly.

Using compostable bags

One thing you should start doing now is to use compostable bags which can be degraded within six months and do not cause a lot of harm to the wildlife and the environment.

But still, these bags should not be thrown into the soil or water as they can be taken in by fishes and animals, making them sick.

Replace plastic bags with cardboard boxes

Now we discuss how you can make the least use of trash bags as possible. For this, one method is to replace trash bags with cardboard boxes while shopping for groceries and some other stuff as well.

In addition, buy cardboard boxes prior to doing any activity and then use the same boxes and containers again and again.

Cover the inside of trash cart with paper

Instead of lining the cart inside with a trash bag, try sticking newspapers with it. They will actually work the same way without causing you any trouble.

Change the newspapers after pickup to avoid any foul smell in the surrounding area.

Another method is to simply not use anything to surround the cart, and just wash it after every trash pickup.

Reuse the bags multiple times

To avoid getting in this confusion of recycling trash bags every time, how about we reuse them multiple times which will help us use a very few trash bags.

Buy a lesser quantity of trash bags from now on, and keep using them until they are intact.

Buy as less bags as possible

After you follow all the above mentioned steps, you will now have to buy a very few trash bags every month, which will definitely go easy on your budget and also on the environment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Trash bags take more than ten years to decompose normally, however, if you are using compostable bags, they can be degraded within six months.

Trash bags are harmful for the environment because these are made up of polythene material, which is not easily decomposable.

It takes these bags more than ten years to decompose, and before this time, they are usually taken in by wildlife, making animals and fishes sick.

Use less plastic trash bags from now on!

Trash bags may be recyclable or not, depending on the kind of bag you are using and on the recycling power plant you are taking your bags to.

However, it is best to replace plastic bags with other items like paper bags, cardboard boxes and even newspapers.

While no answer fits to the question whether trash bags are recyclable or not, it is advised that you use compostable bags which can be degraded in a lesser time.