Reduce the Amount of Discarded Plastic Quickly
Even if you shop with reusable bags, you end up with a bunch of plastic. It contains your bread, your toilet paper, your organic carrots and non-GMO friquettes from the bin, and no, it can’t be recycled along with your bottles and cans. It’s the same with all the plastic that is wrapped around your online purchases. But you can still recycle all that excess plastic – it takes a little more effort.
Go to the grocery store
If your local grocery store, drug store, or store with large drawers has containers for recycling plastic bags, you’re in luck. Because these bins hold so much more than just plastic shopping bags, including all sorts of things you are probably throwing away now , like dry cleaning bags, zippered storage bags, plastic wrap that covers everything from diapers to six packs of soda; some clear air-filled quilted packaging that comes in shipping crates, and soft plastic mailing envelopes from Amazon and the like.
Make it easier
Take one of the many plastic bags you have and place it in a convenient location: maybe under the kitchen sink, in your regular waste basket or trash can, or – ideally – in one of the reusable grocery bags. Fill it with any recyclable plastic bags and film that you would otherwise throw away. When you grab your reusable bag to go to the store, grab your discarded plastic waste bag as well and take it straight to the trash can. Made. Less plastic to choke on turtles and fish, slightly less garbage to landfill.
Check the label
More and more packaging manufacturers are adopting a new labeling system that makes it easy to understand what the heck can and should not be recycled in these shopping baskets (just look for the “Store Drop-off” label) and where to do it . Participating stores include Target, Lidl, Wegmans, Lowe’s, Safeway, and Wal-Mart.