In the world of plastics, there are few materials as ever-present in our lives as thin film.

This is equally true when it comes to packaging.

You have many factors to weigh while designing your packaging. When thin film plastics enter the equation, you might feel like you’re following a maze with no clear end.

In this guide, we help you navigate the nuance of thin film in your packaging – including thin film recycling, how legislation should be factored into your decisions, How2Recycle Labeling, and recycling certifications to consider.

Table of Contents

• Why Understanding Thin Film Recycling is Important
• Big-Picture Overview of Thin Film Recycling
• Thin Film Plastics That Can and Cannot be Recycled
• Do Shipping and Product Labels Need to Be Removed Before Recycling?
• Details on NexTrex and How2Recycle Certification and Labeling
• How Does EPR Affect Thin Film Use and Recycling?
• Recycling EcoEnclose Thin Film Packaging
• Organizations in the Thin Film Plastic Recycling Space
• Next Steps for Your Brand

Every year, massive amounts of plastic film are created, used, and discarded worldwide - typically after just one use.

The EPA estimated that, in 2018, Americans generated nearly 9 billion pounds of PE (polyethylene) films, bags, and wraps.

Some believe the actual number could be even higher since data from California showed 2.6 billion pounds of plastic film in the waste stream of just one state.

Plastic film’s volume means this material significantly impacts the planet.

Film plastic, like bags and wraps, is thin and flimsy, and many are also stretchy. This makes it very difficult for standard single-stream recycling systems to process them.

Because of this, plastic films aren’t accepted in most curbside recycling bins.

We’ll address this more in-depth later, but this limited recyclability means most film plastics are sent to the landfill – or worse.

Of the top 10 most common forms of beachline litter, two are “film”:

• Cigarettes (2,117,931)
• Food wrappers / Containers (1,140,222)
• Beverage Bottles (1,065,171)
• Plastic Grocery Bags (1,019,902)
• Caps / Lids (958,893)
• Cups, plates, forks, knives, spoons (692,767)
• Straws / Stirrers (611,048)
• Glass beverage bottles (521,730)
• Beverage cans (339,875)
• Paper Bags (298,332)

Film plastic’s lightweight nature is one reason, as the wind can more easily carry these packaging items from a trash bin or someone’s pocket. Another is that some film-based products, like grocery bags and chip bags, are often used on the go. When plastic films escape into the environment, they threaten wildlife and, over time, break down into harmful microplastics.

One of the most important steps we can all take is to minimize the amount of packaging material we use. Through that lens, finding ways to eliminate plastic film thoughtfully should be an important part of any discussion around thin film recyclability.

However, there’s more to this than simply replacing plastic with paper. Instead, take a thoughtful approach and consider these factors to ensure your chosen alternatives have a less damaging impact on the planet than plastic film.

The short answer - yes. But for most people, it’s not as easy as dropping it into their curbside bins.

Source: PBS News Hour

Plastic Film is not Curbside Recyclable in Most Municipalities

Most curbside recycling programs do not accept plastic bags, film, or wraps.

Some consumers may put plastic films in their recycling collection bins anyway, often because they don’t realize these materials create a major problem for recycling centers.

Plastic film is a type of soft plastic that is difficult to sort out with equipment used by most MRFs (the facilities that take in and sort your blue bin recycling). Film quickly gets tangled in these recycling center sorting machines. Facilities then have to stop production, and workers must take the dangerous step of cutting bags out of sorting equipment before lines can continue.

Some cities are losing up to $1000 daily because of these stoppages. According to the City of Phoenix, plastic bags cost them $1 million in lost time yearly. This leads to recycling becoming less productive and less profitable.

Thin film recycling bin at Walmart.

PE Plastic Film is Typically Recycled at Store Drop-Off Programs

Have you ever seen a collection bin for grocery bags as you left the store? If so, you’ve just seen plastic film collection at work.

Store drop-off programs have been the primary means of recovering clean and dry bags, film, and wrap for over 20 years.

Consumers drop their thin film into bins at the front of retail stores. Retailers then consolidate the material with other “back of house” films like pallet wrap. This is then sold to reclaiming operations. These operations are largely companies making products like composite lumber, bags and film, containers, crates and pallets.

To find a recycling center near you, check out the Earth911's Recycling Search.

EcoEnclose also has a poly film take-back program for #2 or #4 plastic film. We recycle through EcoCycle, one of the most forward-thinking recyclers in the United States, to process your film into new materials.

Traditional curbside collection bins.

Film Will Likely be Curbside Recyclable Long Term

While there aren’t any conclusive results yet, efforts are being made to explore the viability of curbside recycling of film.

Last year, the Materials Recovery for the Future (MRF) released a report on a two-year pilot curbside recycling program for flexible plastic packaging (FPP) run by J.P. Mascaro & Sons in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania. The report’s primary finding concludes that curbside recycling of FPP is practical and economically feasible.

According to the findings, the TotalRecycle MRF has diverted more than 2.7 million pounds of FPP from landfill due to the curbside recycling program. While RRS says numerous end markets tested the mixed FPP bales (also known as rFlex) produced by TotalRecycle, the primary market has been roof cover board in place of gypsum drywall and, the company adds, notable results also were obtained in trials to reprocess rFlex into blown film.

One important thing to note is that MRFF is a project of the American Chemistry Council, an industry organization with a vested interest in this initiative working out. Findings have to be viewed in this context. That being said, the potential to expand recycling programs for thin films does exist, and we believe that in the next five to ten years, there will be far more infrastructure nationwide to recycle materials that - today - cannot be sorted by municipal MRFs.

There are two main ways that polyethylene can be recycled. Depending on which process is used, the result differs.

The short answer to this is also - yes. But, the effectiveness of plastic film recycling is a subject of debate among many in the industry. This was compounded by a 2021 bill passed in California: SBS343. So, let’s dig in further on this question.

Based on our years of research and experience, here’s our response.

How2Recycle was created by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition. It is a standardized labeling system to help people clearly understand recycling instructions. How2Recycle’s main goal is to help simplify recycling for consumers while increasing the effective recycling rate.

They work with brands to evaluate their packaging and provide specific guidance for recyclability. Once they’ve assessed whether or not the packaging is recyclable, they issue a label to tell consumers how to take care of the packaging after use.

How2Recycle Labels offer four important pieces of information. Scroll through to learn more about each.

When a product has multiple components, H2R includes labels for each part, read left to right, to help consumers dispose of the entire product properly.

For many years, How2Recycle designated PE film (whether or not it contained paper labels) as eligible for Store Drop Off. These days, you’ll see Amazon Bubble Mailers featuring a more stringent label: Remove Paper Label Before Recycling Store Drop Off.

Despite Amazon Bubble Mailers carrying this How2Recycle label, we have found through our recent interactions with How2Recycle requests that this label is not being given to anyone but Amazon. We have not gotten clarity from How2Recycle as to why Amazon continues to carry this label on their bubble mailer while other packages and companies cannot. Their recent input to us includes the following:

• Plastic PE film that won’t be labeled (like a retail shopping bag) can be given the Store Drop-Off label.

• Plastic PE film that will be labeled and carries an APR (Association of Plastic Recyclers) approved label can be given the Store Drop-Off Label. APR-approved labels are either made with PE or a specially formatted blend of plastic and adhesive that APR has approved for recycling.

• Plastic PE film that utilizes a shipping label that a brand can prove is easily removable by the customer (i.e., can be peeled off, not just cut off) can be given the “Remove Label Before Recycling” Store Drop Off H2R label.

• Plastic PE film that utilizes a label that must be cut for it to be removed will receive a “Not Recyclable” designation.

These recent changes have some brands wondering how to navigate their labeling process while still pursuing How2Recycle certification.

NexTrex is a recycling program created by Trex Company, Inc. Trex uses recycled plastic film to make decks.

The organization aims to provide a market for plastic film packaging that keeps waste out of landfill and gives films a new life as downcycled durable materials.

Trex, a company whose recycling approach represents 90%+ of the current thin-film recycling today, has no issues with paper labels because these do not create problems with their current process.

Trex is more concerned with high levels of non-PE plastic materials (PET and PP), grease and food residue, and metal contamination. This is because these contaminating materials may have higher melting points than PE, which leads the recycling process to result in unusable decking materials that do not meet their strength and aesthetic standards.

As such, Trex readily accepts thin film packaging even with paper labels on it. Packaging can be certified by Trex’s NexTrex program as having been tested and verified that the material can be successfully recycled into composite lumber. The NexTrex label is typically given to PE film that will carry paper labels but is often denied due to the presence of metal, high volumes of non-PE additions, or if the residue will likely be left behind in the packaging.

We’ve said this many times in this article, but it's also true here: there’s no clear answer.

For now, it seems that How2Recycle and APR are creating their goals and policies with a more circular process in mind. For example, recycling plastic back into plastic packaging.

On the other hand, Trex, and other companies that downcycle plastic into something durable, have created an invaluable market. They purchase recycled plastic – and this market has made plastic recycling possible for a long time. Using recycled plastic, Trex and similar companies avoid drawing from virgin materials. Additionally, they are a recycler and remanufacturer and are the largest buyer of plastic film nationwide.

We see a similar issue arise in the bottles and rigid plastics space. Historically, PET (i.e., soda bottles) have often been turned into rPET, a recycled polyester fiber used in activewear, outerwear, and other fabrics. Recently, advocates have called for legislation and policies to discourage the conversion of plastic bottles into polyester. Their stated goal is to have more bottles recycled into new bottles.

From our point of view, taking a drastic move to prohibit or penalize downcycling is extremely counterproductive.

Currently, markets favor purchasing materials to recycle into something durable like deck boards or rPET fabric. This market for recycled decking means that thin film PE can be successfully recycled and sold rather than becoming landfill waste or - much worse - litter.

We believe policies prohibiting or discouraging this type of recycling would get in the way of this highly successful market and further reduce our already dismal recycling rates. This means that a lot less material would get recycled, especially in the short term.

We’d like to see a world where various parties and forces can collaborate more to create policies that make sense. Ideally, the role of policy should be to reward packaging-to-packaging recycling without penalizing the downcycling of packaging into durable goods.

Brands must become members and have their packaging certified. Only Brand Members can request a label for their product packaging. To become a member, prospective brands must follow these steps and pay one of these teird rates.

1. Get in touch with How2Recycle’s team
2. Create an account on their Member Platform
3. Review and sign their membership agreement
4. Pay the One Time Setup fee and membership dues

Once dues are paid, How2Recycle provides a customized recyclability assessment and labels for the brand’s packaging. These are accessible through the H2R Member Platform. Once certified, How2Recycle gives each member unlimited labels on their packaging.

Getting certified with NexTrex is a different process than pursuing How2Recycle certification. Since Trex is the end purchaser and uses the reclaimed materials in their manufacturing, they can set specific guidelines for what they will and won’t accept.

Brands interested in testing their plastic film material with Trex should contact Stephanie Hicks (SHICKS@trex.com) for more information. They will then be asked to send samples in to have the materials analyzed and put through a test recycling process.

After tests are complete, they grant certification to the requester. Since they accept paper labels in their collection process, they don’t need more information about the shipping label before certifying the packaging. For example, whether the label is APR certified.

Without these third-party certifications, you can still do your homework to understand the recyclability and sourcing of your packaging. We recommend that you work with your supply chain partners to vet and fully comprehend the materials you use in your packaging. Then, print packaging with clear and accurate instructions telling customers how to reuse or recycle it.