Starting August 1, the San Antonio Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD), Texas, no longer accepts single-use plastic bags in the blue recycling cart, even if they are bundled. This change is crucial to address the issues caused by processing plastic bags in the mixed recycling system.
When plastic bags are placed together with other recyclables in the blue cart, they can become entangled with those other items, making them difficult to recycle. Additionally, plastic bags and other plastic films can stick to recycling sorting equipment, causing machinery malfunctions and inefficiencies. Plastic bags collected from retailer kiosks do not face these issues since they are kept separate from other materials, allowing them to be recycled effectively.
“The decision to stop accepting plastic bags in the blue recycling cart is not unique to San Antonio,” SWMD deputy director, Josephine Valencia, said. “Of the nation’s 10 other largest cities, none of them are accepting plastic bags in the blue cart. San Antonio kept them in its program for several years, but operationally it hasn’t worked. The change affects our 370,000 customers, but it is important to note that the city’s private hauling companies that collect from the remaining 2,081,000 population and commercial businesses have never accepted plastic bags in their recycling programs.”
SWMD will be updating all informational materials to reflect these new guidelines, ensuring that residents are informed and can easily comply with the new rules.
