Materials Accepted, Almost Anything Bag

 

Accepted Materials

Clean and dry plastic film of any color. Recycling types 2 (HDPE) and 4 (LDPE) if labeled:

  • Grocery bags
  • Amazon and other plastic film mailers
  • Bubble wrap
  • Product and case wrap 
  • Ziploc and sandwich bags – must be free of food residue 
  • Air pillows – must be flattened
  • Bread bags
  • Dry cleaning bags
  • Produce bags
  • Film should stretch

Materials NOT Accepted

  • Mailers with paper outside and bubble wrap inside
  • Foil-lined bubble wrap
  • Salad bags
  • Biodegradable bags
  • Tape
  • Paper bags
  • Foil-lined bags like snacks, candy bars, or granola bars wrappers and bags
  • Bread bags not made of type 4 LDPE film or mixed material bags
  • Store product bags that don’t stretch
  • If the material rips or tears instead of stretches

Where does it go?

Orange Recycling Services compresses the plastic film into densified bales.  These bales are then delivered to The TREX Company where they’re turned into composite deck boards or sent to other end users to be used for other materials.

Why recycle it?

Plastic bags are manufactured from petroleum and end up as waste in landfills and the ocean. These bags should never be put in with mixed recycling as they can cause equipment malfunctions at the recycling center.

Accepted Materials

Clean and dry crinkly plastic packaging of any color. These materials are usually thicker, loud when mashed, and do not stretch like grocery bags or bread bags.

  • Chip bags
  • Candy wrappers
  • Granola bar and energy bar wrappers
  • Coffee bags
  • Frozen food bags
  • Salad bags
  • Pasta bags
  • Cheese packaging
  • Crinkly resealable food bags
  • Food and drink pouches
  • Woven plastic bags
  • Produce netting
  • Clean takeout utensils
  • Plastic drinking straws

Tip: Try mashing it in your hand. If it sounds loud and crinkly and does not stretch, use this bag. If it stretches like a grocery bag, bread bag, or Ziploc-style storage bag, use the Plastic Film bag instead.

Materials NOT Accepted

  • Stretchy plastic film, such as grocery bags, bread bags, produce bags, or plastic film mailers
  • Items with paper liners
  • Items that contain cardboard
  • Items with mixed materials other than plastic, such as metal or paper
  • Compostable or biodegradable packaging
  • Dirty or wet items

Where does it go?

Crinkly Packaging is sorted and consolidated at The ReCollective warehouse. We remove anything that does not belong, compact the material, and send it to ByFusion, where it is transformed into durable construction blocks.

Why recycle it?

Crinkly Packaging is one of the hardest everyday materials to recycle because it is often made from multiple layers of plastic fused together. Most curbside programs do not accept it, so it usually ends up in the landfill. Collecting it separately allows us to send it to a specialized partner that can responsibly process it.

Accepted Materials

Clean and dry textiles in any condition, including: 

  • Clothes
  • Shoes
  • Towels
  • Sheets
  • Purses

Materials NOT Accepted

Textiles that are:

  • Wet
  • Hazardous or contaminated
  • Mildewed and moldy

Where does it go?

Clothing and textiles that are in good shape are donated to community organizations for reuse locally. For items that are not appropriate for reuse, we partner with Green Zone to recycle the textile fibers into new products.

Why recycle it?

Textile waste occupies nearly 5% of all landfill space and only 15% gets recycled.

Accepted Materials

Only clean rigid block Styrofoam (EPS), recycling type 6

  • Packaging blocks
  • Coolers

Please note that the size of the Almost Anything Bag limits styrofoam to only small pieces. 

Materials NOT Accepted

Where does it go?

Our partner Orange Recycling Services densifies the Styrofoam. Densified blocks are then shipped to end market manufacturers to make things like plastic components, picture frames and building materials.

Why recycle it?

Styrofoam (EPS) is manufactured from petroleum, and like other plastic products, it is not easily biodegradable. EPS is also comprised of more than 90% air and fills up landfills and contaminates ecosystems.

Accepted Materials

  • Standard AA or AAA Alkaline Batteries (max of 10 per bag)
  • LED Lightbulbs

Materials NOT Accepted

  • Nickel Cadmium (NiCd)
  • Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH)
  • Lithium-Ion
  • Button Cells
  • Rechargeable
  • Small electronics batteries
  • Car batteries
  • Lead-acid batteries
  • Swollen or bulging batteries
  • Broken bulbs
  • Incandescent
  • CFL
  • Halogen

Where does it go?

We partner with Batteries Plus. Batteries & bulbs are sent to facilities where metals and chemicals are recycled, and harmful materials are properly disposed of.

Why recycle it?

Recycling batteries helps keep toxic metals out of landfills and helps prevent ground water contamination.  

Mercury containing light bulbs like CFLs can seep into groundwater. Phosphor, which is present in fluorescent bulbs and tubes, is toxic. Light bulbs contain valuable metals, glass and other materials that can be separated and recycled into new products.

Accepted Materials

Everything else we accept! 

  • Electrical Cables & Cords (Electronic devices are no longer accepted in mailback bags)
  • Kitchenware
  • Wine Corks
  • Art & Office Supplies
  • Metal Bottle Caps
  • Toys
  • CDs/DVDs (in cases)
  • Scrap Metal (not more than 10% of the bag)
  • Wrapped Takeout Utensils
  • Twist Ties
  • Bread Tags
  • Rubber Bands
  • Clothing Buttons
  • Clothing Hangers
  • Lanyards and name tags
  • Silica Packets
  • #1 Plastics
  • #5 Plastics

Important things to remember about packing your Almost Anything Bag:

  • Do not include electronics in bags mailed back to us. Cables and cords are still OK.
  • Do not include lithium batteries, CFL lightbulbs, other glass lightbulbs, or anything else that is not specifically listed on the accepted materials list.
  • You may include up to 10 AA or AAA alkaline batteries.
  • Do not include anything sharp.
  • Your bag must weigh 10 lbs or less.

Have questions? Contact us at almostanything@therecollective.co

© The ReCollective, Inc | All Rights Reserved | Site Design & Development by AEM