503-234-3000 for more options on recycling.
- Dirty plastic bags, ziplock bags, colored bags and bags made of very crinkly, noisy plastic cannot be recycled at all. They should be put in the landfill trash once you can no longer re-use them.
All recycling is based on supply and demand as well as the effort to get only one type of plastic, break it down and reuse it. Metals and glass can be melted and reused over and over again. But plastic, if it can be recycled, is actually “down cycled” in that it can usually be used once more in carpet, or new products. Once it goes into these products, that is where the cycle ends, versus having multiple cycles of use.
Please know that is not my intent to bum you out, but rather I want to make you aware of the reality of plastic bags. It is my hope that you will take this information and make one small change to help reduce your own use of plastic bags in the year ahead. I believe it is by making small changes, that we all can have a big impact.
I’d like to thank Joseph Connelly for sending me the book “The Zero-Waste Lifestyle” by Amy Korst. I finally got around to reading it and really enjoyed it. Amy’s book provided me with more motivation and information on my own quest to reduce waste! In 2014 I have stopped my trash pick-up service with the goal of going one year before I need to call for them to come pick-up my trash. Look for more posts in the near future for updates on this project!