Soft plastics are everywhere in our daily lives: from plastic packaging and shopping plastic bags to food wrappers and bubble wrap. While they’re convenient, most soft plastics are not accepted in regular curbside recycling, leading to serious environmental consequences. Let’s explore how you can start collecting soft plastic waste at home and take small but meaningful steps toward more responsible plastic recycling.
The complexities of soft plastic recycling
Soft plastics are one of the biggest household waste challenges. Difficulties start in the collection process and end with not being recycled because of their lightweight and thin structure. Statistics show that less than 5% of soft plastics are recycled in the US. It leads to landfills overflowing with more trash and climate change consequences. Soft plastics in landfills produce greenhouse gases and destroy ecosystems when they turn into microparticles. The amount of soft plastics, like plastic bags, that are recycled for now, which are mostly polyethylene and polypropylene, increases CO2 emissions while traveling miles to be transported to the actual recycling points. These issues are a huge problem in waste management and the recycling process, but with new technologies in the circular economy, the negative impact can be reduced.
Why is circularity important?
It is clear that the circular economy concept works on keeping materials and products in a loop and circulation for as long as possible. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a transition to a circular economy in just five sectors (like plastics, aluminum, and cement) could cut global CO₂ emissions by 9.3 billion tons by 2050.While benefiting the environment and slowing climate change, the circular economy aspires to improve the economy, creating new jobs and industries.
By reusing existing materials instead of constantly buying virgin resources, plastic recycling, businesses can reduce production costs, waste disposal fees, and dependence on volatile supply chains.
Moreover, it can enhance supply‑chain resilience and attract conscious consumers and investors.
For the moment, socially vulnerable groups struggle the most from climate change. For instance, many landfills and manufacturing and processing facilities are located in close proximity to low-income communities.Therefore, contributing to the circular economy can help elevate social justice.
How to start recycling soft plastics at home with the SPC
Identify soft plastics in your home
To easily understand that you are holding soft plastic packaging in your hands, just crumple them and see if they’re easily balled up.
The SPC accepts most types of soft plastic packaging, but there are some rules for its most efficient use and future recycling possibilities.
The SPC is designed to accept the following flexible (soft) plastics:
- #2 (high density), HDPE
- #4 (low density), LDPE
- #5 (polypropylene), PP
- Expanded Polyethylene (EPE), limited quantities
e.g.
Any type of flexible (soft) plastic:
- Food wrappers
- Plastic bags for shopping
- Bubble wrap
- Cling film
- Stretch wrap
- Zip lock bags
- Shipping packaging
- Freezer bags
- Other types of soft plastic
There are better ways to recycle these types of waste with recycling bins, curbside pickup, and other programs:
- #1, PET (bottles) - current recycling systems can’t handle them when they’re mixed with PE, PP, and other plastic types
- PLA and biodegradable plastics
- Paper
- Glass
- Metal and foil
- Organics
Avoid these plastic types as they are not recyclable:
- #3, PVC
- #6, PS and EPS. E.g., Foam Coffee Cups, Packing Peanuts - not recyclable with/ polyethylene or polypropylene flow, and common in offices
- Takeout containers (” Tupperware”)
- Celluloid
Clean and dry all plastic before storage
We recommend removing stickers and food residue from plastic packaging when possible to keep the SPC clean and running smoothly and to prevent unpleasant odors and food buildup on the rollers or storage area. The cleaner the plastic, the higher the quality of the new product created after the plastic recycling process.
Store soft plastics efficiently
The SPC significantly simplifies the soft plastic collection and transforms fluffy soft plastic packaging into a shape-preserving 12×8×4-inch block, preparing it for further transportation and recycling. Hassle-free plastic bags and other packaging simply disappear out of your sight through the automated SPC feeder window and are compressed 10 times more compared to a regular collection of plastic into a plastic bag. Simply feed SPC every day, and approximately once a month, you will get a compacted block made from the collected plastic materials. Depending on the specifics of use, the cycle length may vary (e.g., if you feed more plastic in, it will compact and output “blocks” more frequently)
Recycle with Clear Drop
Clear Drop’s solution provides a whole circular system to bridge the gap between real soft plastic packaging recycling and everyday life. This includes a household device, Soft Plastic Compactor, for compacting waste and transforming it into a dense solid block, and a network of partners who can actually recycle it, thanks to its solid structure.
Your soft plastic blocks, after being recycled, can be transformed into new materials like pallets, fencing, benches, landscaping blocks/timber, and docking. That’s how we can contribute to a circular economy and minimize our ecological footprint.
Create a recycling habit: involve your household
Make soft plastic recycling part of your daily routine by talking with your family about why it matters. Start conversations with friends and neighbors: normalizing the issue helps build collective awareness and momentum. Recycling is easier and more impactful when it becomes a shared culture.
