Where to recycle plastic — bags, film, and the numbers 1–7
Most plastic confusion comes down to two mistakes: putting bags in the recycling cart, and trusting the little number on the bottom. Bags and film have their own route through store drop-off bins. The number only tells you what the plastic is made of, not whether your city takes it. Here is where each kind actually goes, and the ten states where a bottle is worth money.
Short answer
- Bottles, jugs and jars usually go in the curbside cart, empty and rinsed, with caps on. Check your city's list.
- Bags, wraps and film never go in the cart. Take them, clean and dry, to a store drop-off bin.
- The number 1–7 is not a promise. It names the plastic; your local program decides what it takes.
- Foam (Styrofoam): most recyclers don't take it. Check with your local program.
- Ten states pay you back for drink containers — usually 5 or 10 cents each. No other state has a deposit.
Plastic bags and film: the store bin, never the cart
This is the one rule that holds almost everywhere. EPA lists plastic bags and wraps among the things that generally cannot go in a curbside recycling bin, and its standard list of what municipal programs collect puts plastic film under “collection bins at retail/grocery” rather than curbside. EPA also warns that items that don't belong can contaminate a whole load of recyclables and get it all thrown out.
Instead, take bags and film to a store drop-off bin. EPA notes that many grocery and department stores accept plastic bags and wrap; the bin is usually near the entrance. The How2Recycle program lists the kinds of film that qualify:
- Grocery and produce bags
- Bread bags and cereal bags
- Stretch wrap and newspaper bags
- Wrap around paper towels and diapers
- Plastic mailers that carry the label
Look for the How2Recycle Store Drop-off label on the package. It was redesigned recently and no longer uses the chasing arrows — the new icon looks like the collection bin itself. The film needs to be clean and dry, and EPA says to cut off zippers first.
Not every soft plastic qualifies. Store drop-off takes polyethylene film (#2 and #4), and How2Recycle says not all film is compatible. If a wrapper doesn't carry the Store Drop-off label, leave it out of the bin.
What the numbers 1–7 actually mean
The number inside the triangle is a resin identification code. The standard behind it, ASTM D7611, covers the six most common plastics plus a seventh catch-all. ASTM says the code was designed solely to identify the plastic, not to say whether it can be recycled — which is why the standard replaced the chasing-arrows symbol with a plain solid triangle.
| Number | Marked | Plastic |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | PETE or PET | Polyethylene terephthalate |
| #2 | HDPE | High-density polyethylene |
| #3 | V (PVC) | Polyvinyl chloride |
| #4 | LDPE | Low-density polyethylene |
| #5 | PP | Polypropylene |
| #6 | PS | Polystyrene |
| #7 | Other | Everything else, including items made of more than one of the six |
EPA puts it plainly: plastic bottles are the most commonly recycled plastic products, other plastics may or may not be accepted where you live, and a resin code on the product does not guarantee it is recyclable in your area. Your city's own list is the only one that counts.
What goes in the curbside cart
EPA's list of the most common curbside items includes plastic bottles and caps, jugs, and plastic jars. Notice the list goes by shape, not number — read your city's list for the shapes it names.
- Empty and rinse it. EPA says plastic should be empty and rinsed clean of food before it's recycled.
- Caps back on. The industry's bottle-bale specification accepts caps left on bottles but says loose caps should not be added.
- When in doubt, leave it out. EPA says not to put anything in your recycling cart unless you know it's accepted.
Find a recycling drop-off near you
Enter your city or ZIP for the closest recycling centers and drop-offs. Programs differ in what plastics they take, so call ahead before you load up.
Can you sell plastic?
For most households, no — with one big exception. Ten states run a bottle deposit: you pay a few cents extra on each drink and get it back when you return the empty container to a store or redemption center.
| State | Refund | What's covered | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 5¢ under 24 oz, 10¢ for 24 oz or more; 25¢ on boxed or pouched wine and spirits | Most drinks, except milk, infant formula and medical food | CalRecycle |
| Connecticut | 10¢ | Covered bottles and cans | CT Dept. of Revenue Services |
| Hawaii | 5¢ (plus a 1¢ fee you don't get back) | Containers labeled “HI 5¢” | Hawaii Dept. of Health |
| Iowa | 5¢ | Carbonated and alcoholic drinks | Iowa DNR |
| Maine | 5¢; 15¢ on wine and spirits | Beer, hard cider, soda, noncarbonated water and more; not milk | Maine DEP |
| Massachusetts | 5¢ | Soda, beer, malt drinks and sparkling water | MassDEP |
| Michigan | 10¢ | Certain carbonated and mixed-alcohol drinks; not water, juice, milk, hard cider or wine | Michigan EGLE |
| New York | 5¢ | Soda, beer, wine coolers, mineral and soda water, and water without sugar | NYSDEC |
| Oregon | 10¢ | Most drinks, including water, juice, kombucha and energy drinks; not spirits | OLCC |
| Vermont | 5¢; 15¢ on liquor | Bottles, cans and jars of glass, metal, or #1 or #2 plastic | Vermont DEC |
- Only in the state where you bought it. New York, for one, says containers must be bought in New York to be refunded there.
- The curbside cart gives your deposit away. In California, CalRecycle says the refund on containers placed in curbside or public recycling bins goes to whoever collects the bins. Return them yourself if you want the money.
Outside those ten states, there is no deposit, and household plastic goes in the recycling cart rather than to a buyer. The companies that do buy scrap plastic trade in large, sorted bales. The industry specifications they buy against are written for recycling facilities and businesses, and set strict limits — a bale of colored HDPE bottles, for example, is allowed no more than 5% contamination by weight. That's a different business from a bag of bottles in the garage.