What is the best bin for soft plastic recycling?

What is the best bin for soft plastic recycling? Will any bin do?

You’ll be surprised to know that the best bin isn’t a bin – it’s a bag stand!

There are seven reasons why a bag stand is your best bet when it comes to soft plastic recycling.

1. Compaction

When tying off the bag, squeeze all out the air to reduce the size of your bag and compact the soft plastic. You’ll be surprised that bag of soft plastic compacts from one metre long to the size of a small shopping bag! That’s because soft plastic is so lightweight it is mostly air trapped in the bag when it is not compacted.

Compacting reduces the amount of plastic used, storage space and frequency of drop-offs, saving you money, time and carbon emissions.

2. Transparent bags

Transparent recycling bags make it easy for people to spot and remove any contamination, resulting in a cleaner stream for recycling. If you see something other than soft plastic packaging, you can easily remove it and dispose of it responsibly.

As the bags are see-through, people quickly see what can be placed in the bag stand. This can reduce contamination. In a standard bin, people can’t see what’s inside, and based on our experience they are more likely to put the wrong thing in.

3. It stands out

It looks different from other bins, making people think twice before disposing of waste. This can reduce contamination and create a cleaner stream for recycling.

4. Choose your bag size

A great thing about this bag stand is that you can determine your bag size: Make a small or large bag

• Tie off small bags when dropping off post-consumer (household) soft plastic to the REDcycle bins at Coles and Woolworths. This is a great option for schools that want to recycle soft plastic.

• Businesses can create big bags when dropping off soft plastic to a council collection point, for baling or for collection where these options are available. Businesses can also separate their plastic into clear streams for recycling where this service is available.

5. Less litter

The rim on the stand also ensures soft plastics will not blow out of the bag stand and end up as litter. Due to their open-top, bag stands should only be used indoors or in undercover areas.

6. The bags can be recycled too!

The bag stands used by Plastic Police® are fitted with LDPE bags, meaning your bags will be recycled along with all your soft plastic.

7. Quicker and easier to change bags

Continuous bag technology means your supply of bags is stored on your bag stand. This makes it quicker to change your bag. How much quicker you ask? 50% quicker! Compared to a standard bin, this bag stand uses five times less plastic, ultimately saving you money. Learn more about the Infinity bag stand here.

For these reasons, we recommend a bag stand with a transparent bag.

You are, of course, free to use your own bins or stands. In fact, it’s great to use what we already have instead of buying new. However, make sure you use transparent plastic (LDPE) bags and check regularly for contamination. With some recyclers, soft plastic placed into black bags/bin liners cannot be recycled and instead will be disposed of to landfill. This is because the contents of the bag cannot be inspected, and this poses a health and safety risk to waste handlers and recyclers. Display the Plastic Police® soft plastic recycling signage and follow our tips in the Plastic Police® Champion Guide which is included in the Plastic Police® Starter Pack.

Along with educational resources and signage, the Plastic Police Starter Pack contains a Plastic Police® bag stand.