- Only 1% of U.S. households have access to curbside film recycling. Home devices like the Clear Drop Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) fill that gap.
- Soft plastics make up ≈ 21% of the U.S. packaging market, yet only about 13% of all plastic packaging gets recycled nationally.
- Recycling soft films can reduce GHG emissions by 8%–23% compared to virgin plastic.
- Every ton of recycled plastics saves ≈ 5,800 kWh of energy and 1.7 metric tons of CO₂ emissions.
No matter how diligent you are with recycling, most plastics labeled "recyclable" still end up in landfills. Curbside systems in the U.S. aren't designed for soft films and flexible packaging — meaning these materials often get rejected at the facility.
Only 1% of U.S. households can currently recycle film plastics through local collection (The Recycling Partnership, 2021). The Clear Drop Soft Plastic Compactor (SPC) fills that gap — letting you collect and compact soft plastics at home so they can be properly recycled through certified partners.
Why Soft Plastic Recycling Matters
of U.S. packaging sales are soft plastics — a $41.5 billion market with a recycling rate near zero
national plastic packaging recycling rate — soft plastics represent only a fraction of that
of film plastic must be recovered annually just to reach a 30% recycling rate
reduction in GHG emissions when recycling flexible plastics vs. producing virgin material
Clearly, there's plenty of room for improvement — and it can start one home at a time with the Clear Drop SPC.
10 Surprising Soft Plastics You Can Recycle
All of the following items are often rejected by curbside systems but can be accepted by the Clear Drop SPC, once cleaned and dried:
1. Ziplock bags
Rinse, dry, and add to the SPC.
2. Bread bags (typically LDPE #4)
Empty, shake out crumbs, and dry completely before compacting.
3. Cereal box liners
Separate the inner film liner, dry it, and add to your SPC.
4. Frozen food bags
After use, defrost, rinse off residue, dry, and add to the SPC.
5. Bubble mailers
Plastic-only mailers (without paper layers) can be deflated and compacted.
6. Snack wrappers
Single-layer poly wrappers (e.g., granola bars) are fine — just avoid any with metallic film.
7. Produce wrap
Most cling film from fruit and veggie trays is LDPE — rinse, dry, and compact.
8. Pet food bags
Clean out oily residue from PP (polypropylene) bags, dry, and compact.
9. Dry cleaning bags
Remove tags or tape, dry, and feed into the SPC.
10. Packaging air pillows
Deflate, flatten, and compact these LDPE shipping cushions.
When compacted, all of the above films become part of your SPC block — a dense, clean unit ready for recycling.
How to Prepare Soft Plastics for SPC Recycling
- Clean: Rinse off all food or oil.
- Dry: Air-dry thoroughly.
- Compact: Insert the plastic into your SPC.
- Ship or Drop Off: Send your full soft-plastic block to a Clear Drop partner.
Do: Rinse and dry plastics, remove labels, keep items light.
Don't: Include wet, dirty, or foil-lined film.
What Happens After Collection: The SPC Recycling Process
SPC blocks go to certified U.S. recycling partners like Frankfort Plastics in Indiana — where plastics are sorted, shredded, cleaned, and pelletized into new resin used for outdoor furniture, decking, and composite pallets.
- Transport & Inspection: SPC blocks go to certified U.S. partners, such as Frankfort Plastics in Indiana.
- Sorting & Shredding: Plastics are sorted and granulated.
- Cleaning & Pelletizing: Flakes are washed and melted into new resin.
- Reuse: Resin becomes new durable construction products — outdoor furniture, decking, composite pallets.
According to the EPA, recycling one ton of plastics saves ≈ 5,800 kWh of energy and prevents 1.7 metric tons of CO₂ emissions (EPA 2024). By using the SPC, you help turn hard-to-recycle films into feedstock for new products — closing the loop.
The Clear Drop SPC in Numbers
| Metric | U.S. Statistic | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Soft-plastic share of packaging | ≈ 21% ($41.5 billion market) | Packaging Digest 2023 |
| National plastic-packaging recycling rate | 13.3% | US Plastics Pact 2024 |
| Households with film recycling access | ≈ 1% | The Recycling Partnership 2021 |
| Goal for 30% film recycling | 3.1 billion pounds needed annually | The Recycling Partnership 2021 |
| GHG savings from film recycling | 8%–23% | Plastic Film Recycling Org |
| Plastic recycled in North America (2025) | 4.2 million tons (≈ 13% of PE/PET/PP) | Sustainable Packaging Coalition 2025 |
Be a leader in better recycling
Recycle more than you thought possible with the Clear Drop SPC — and cleanly collect food scraps with the Organics Collector.
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