Recycling Packaging Materials. Plastic packaging is valuable and should be recycled where possible. Recycling as many packaging materials as we can further enhances its sustainability. More and more everyday plastics are recycled—including bottles, caps, rigid containers, bags and film product wraps.

Is plastic packaging material recyclable?

Nearly every type of plastic bag can be recycled, even though they should generally stay out of your curbside bin. This goes for grocery bags, food storage bags and even dry-cleaning bags. Just make sure that the plastic is clean and dry before you drop it off.

Why is plastic packaging not recyclable?

Most of the plastics we use are either thermoplastic or thermosetting. ... Thermosetting plastics, like Bakelite or polyurethane, are different because they harden as you heat them. Once they have set, you can't melt them. This makes thermosetting plastics almost impossible to recycle.