The use of recycling bags: An overview of collection policies and a spatial assessment of bag use

Abstract

An increasing number of recycling programs worldwide now use single-use high-density polyethylene (HDPE) plastic bags in conjunction with recycling bins for the storage and collection of recyclable waste. Recycling bags may increase recycling yield and lower street litter; however, they also come with potentially large environmental and economic costs, including the increased use of plastics. To assess the scale of recycling bag use, we conducted a review of municipal management policies and by-laws across Ontario, the birthplace of modern blue box programs. Over 40% of the municipalities we investigated, collectively representing more than 7 million residents, allow the collection of recycling in bags. Subsequently, we conducted a follow-up study to estimate the number of recycling bags actually used by residents, an important metric for environmental managers, in a medium-sized Ontario city that collects recyclables in both bags and bins. Across three collection dates, 9.0 ± 1.3% of households used recycling bags, with a mean of 1.65 bags per house (mean households sampled = 1540). We estimate that approximately 160 households could use over 10,000 recycling bags per year (∼380 kg of plastic). Spatial analysis on the distribution of recycling bags showed some evidence of clustering among nearby neighbours (i.e. social influence); however, these results were inconsistent and highly variable across sampling dates. Our study provides a valuable policy overview and critical baseline data for waste managers weighing the benefits (e.g., litter reduction) and drawbacks (e.g., debagging costs and plastic waste) of recycling bags for the collection of recyclable material.

Keywords

• Waste collection
• Waste management
• Single-use plastic
• Recycling bins
• Waste processing
• Blue bags