Clearwater Recycling Department: Leave Plastic Bags Out Of Bins

CLEARWATER, FL — The city of Clearwater Solid Waste/Recycling Department asks recyclers to leave all plastic bags out of your blue recycling bin.

When metal cans or other recyclable materials are bagged and thrown into the blue bin, the bagged materials cannot be sorted at the recycling facility. Instead, they are considered "contamination" because the different materials cannot be separated, and the bags can harm sorting machinery.

Recycling workers cannot open every bag that comes through the sorting facility. If the bags are removed from the line (which not all of them are), the bags - along with the recyclables inside - are sent to the landfill.

If you need a way to collect your recyclables, try using a small, unlined trash can or reusable bag, and empty it into the bin. Another option is to collect items using a paper bag, and empty the bag into the recycling bin before tossing the paper bag into your recycling. Plastic bags can be recycled at local retailers, such as Publix, Walmart and Lowe's.

See what you should do with plastic bags in the video below.

This press release was produced by the City of Clearwater. The views expressed here are the author's own.