Plastic Bags

Recycle Plastic Bags at Depots

Residential plastic bags and overwrap should be brought to a depot for recycling so they can be effectively recycled. Check our list of depots to find a recycling location near you. Please do not put soft plasitc in your recycling bin. When plastic bags and overwrap are collected with other materials, pieces of the other recyclables mix with the plastic film. Once these materials mix together it is difficult to completely separate the recyclables from plastic film to meet the standards of North American recycling markets.

Plastic bags can also get caught up in machinery at recycling facilities, causing operations to have to stop and workers to manually remove the stuck material before resuming operations. Click here to learn more about recycling plastic bags and the types of plastic bags and overwrap accepted at depots.

Reduce – Bring a Bag

When you can, bring a bag to reduce plastic use. Reusable bags will last you longer than a single trip to the grocery store, and will help reduce the amount of plastic bags ending up in landfills. Check with stores to find out their current health and safety and policies to see if you can bring reusable bags.

See more options to manage your plastic bags.

Retailer Resource Guide

Retail stores can be the leaders in reducing single-use items like plastic and paper bags. Recycle BC and the Retail Council of Canada have jointly developed a resource guide to help support these efforts. Click here for more information.