You are Recycling that Wrong

Montana Mitchell, staff writer

Plastic bags are one of the most used items on this planet while also being one of the most toxic materials. Without proper disposal of plastic bags, they can be extremely harmful to the environment. Plastic bags take 10-1,000 years to decompose, and as they do, they slowly release toxic chemicals into the environment. To help prevent this, recycling is the best option.

When recycling, it is important to know that recycling plastic bags with the average single-stream recycling bin actually causes more harm than good. Always use recycling bins specifically designed for plastic bags. When plastic bags are mixed with other recyclable items, they can become wet and dirty. This causes the plastic bags to become contaminated and it can contaminate all of the plastic recyclables, resulting in companies not being able to purchase the recyclables and being thrown away.

To prevent this, always dispose of plastic bags at specifically designated collection spots, some being easily found at grocery stores. When plastic bags are properly disposed of, companies purchase and recycle them into durable items.

To help spread awareness, on Monday, Nov. 5, PVCC’s One Book Program held a College-wide Recycle day. They encouraged students to bring plastic shopping bags to the main campus for proper disposal. Along with encouragement, they offered free reusable PVCC bags in exchange for the plastic bags students brought in.

According to their website, “Every bag counts because it’s one more piece of plastic that can be reduced, removed, reused, and recycled.”