Can you recycle bubble wrap?

As businesses and consumers alike grow more aware of their impact on the environment, many people are relooking at their commitment to a recycling program and getting involved with local recycling. Grocery stores have been one of the biggest contributors with bread bags, plastic bags, and plastic film all been purchased and used regularly.

The good news, however, is that business and people are taking steps in the right direction by using things like collection points, a recycling bin in their home, or using a reusable bag for their dry cleaning.

Recycling is a really easy way to reduce the amount of waste in our rubbish tips, and it can really help the environment.

All types of plastic wrap can be recycled, including density polythene. So, what about everyone’s favourite plastic wrapping sealed air corporation? Bubble wrap?

Bubble wrap can be recycled. However, you shouldn’t take action to recycle your bubble wrap just yet as there is something you need to know before you understand if your recycling services accept bubble wrap.

bubble wrap recycling
bubble wrap recycling

What Is Bubble Wrap Made From?

Bubble wrap is a little more complicated to recycle, but to understand why you need to know what it’s made from. The majority of bubble wrap is made from a thin, soft plastic that is called #4 low-density polyethene film. It’s exactly the same material plastic shopping bags are made from. It’s great a transporting and protecting because it’s simultaneously flexible and relatively strong.

However, it’s these qualities that make plastic films such as LDPE film much more difficult to recycle. Their high tensile strength means they are more likely to get caught in the machines at a recycling facility, which can lead to damaged equipment and injuries. Most recycling programs may prohibit bubble wrap, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be recycled.

Your standard recycling program is probably not equipped to deal with bubble wrap and only deals with a single-stream recycling program. Single-stream programs enable all of the common forms of recyclables, cardboard, glass, and paper, to be sorted in one single bin instead of needing them to be pre-sorted.

How To Recycle Bubble Wrap

You shouldn’t put bubble wrap in your standard recycling box. It will contaminate the recycling stream and it will mean that your recycling ends up at the rubbish tip. You could even be fined for incorrectly recycling. In order to recycle bubble wrap, you need to find a plastic firm like Expert where you can drop-off your bubble wrap.

Always make sure that any bubble wrap that is attached to paper mailers or is lined is separated before it is sent for recycling. Bubble wrap isn’t like a plastic bottle, so you need to ensure you treat it different when it comes ot recycling.

Here at Plastic Expert, we offer a cost-effective and sustainable solution for Polyethylene Recycling (bubble wrap). We work with many warehouses, manufacturers, fulfilment centres, waste transfer stations, and recycling centres. We also work with facilities management companies to ensure this difficult waste stream is dealt with effectively and properly.

Can you recycle bubble wrap