Plastic Film Recycling at Apartment Buildings
The Saint Paul Recycling Program, a division of Saint Paul Public Works, conducted a pilot program in select apartment buildings that focused on collecting and recycling plastic bags, film and packaging. The pilot program ran from June 4th, 2018 - August 3rd, 2018.
How Did it Work?
Residents collected plastic bags, film and packaging in their unit. When they were ready to recycle the material, they took it to a specially designated bin in their building’s laundry room or waste area.
The plastic film was then picked up on an on-call basis and transported to a plastic film recycling facility.
What Items Were Accepted?
Residents Were Reminded:
- Plastic must be clean and dry for recycling.
- Remove stickers, labels and tape to the best of your ability.
- Shake out crumbs and residue, and remove receipts.
- DO NOT place plastic bags, film or packaging in your building's recycling carts.
Print Materials:
Results of the Pilot Program:
77 lbs. of plastic bags, film and packaging were collected for recycling from three participating properties between June 4th, 2018 - August 3rd, 2018. After the pilot program ended, two of the properties chose to continue collecting material by coordinating resident volunteers to take on program operations. 310 units were reached through this pilot program.
Read Saint Paul Recycling's full report here: Plastic Film Pilot Report
Inspired by this program, Saint Paul Recycling created a weather resistant recycling cart decal with messaging stating "Do not bag recyclables" and "No plastic bags". The messaging is translated into four additional languages on the decal, and the decal is freely available to apartment building property managers and owners. Visit This Page for more information.
