The Authority recently held its Fall 2024 Plastic Film Challenge, where local schools competed to see who could collect the most plastic film to be brought back to a retail store for recycling.
Plastic film is a type of plastic that can be recycled, however it is not accepted through regular curbside recycling. This is because of how easily film plastics can get stuck in the machines at the Authority’s Oneida-Herkimer Recycling Center. Many retail stores in our area accept plastic film for recycling as a part of the New York State Bag Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Act, which has been in effect since 2009. Under this act, large retail stores were required to begin accepting plastic film for recycling. In 2020, the act was expanded to no longer allow stores of a certain size and type to distribute plastic bags to their customers.
Plastic film items that are accepted for recycling through retailers include: pallet wrap and stretch film, grocery bags, bread bags, case overwrap, dry cleaning bags, newspaper sleeves, Ziploc and other resealable food storage bags, produce bags, product wrap, retail bags, air pillows, bubble wrap, plastic shipping envelopes, electronic wrap, plastic film labeled with #2 or #4 recycling symbol, ice bags, wood pellet bags, salt bags and cereal box liners. All items must be clean, dry and free of food and organic residue.
A total of 705 pounds of plastic film were collected by this year’s challenge participants, all of which was able to be diverted from both the Oneida-Herkimer Recycling Center and Regional Landfill. This year’s challenge participants were:
- Jarvis Middle School
- Camden High School
- Roscoe Conkling Elementary School
- Clinton Elementary School
- General Herkimer Elementary School
- Sauquoit Elementary School
- Madison Oneida BOCES
- Owen D. Young Central School
- McConnellsville Elementary School
- Town of Webb Union Free School District
- Camden Elementary School
- Poland Elementary School
Sauquoit Elementary School collected the most plastic film out of the elementary schools that participated with a total of 295 pounds and Camden High School collected the most plastic film out of the middle/high schools that participated with a total of 45 pounds. The challenge winners will each be featured in a video with the Authority’s mascot, Binny, which will be posted on the Authority’s website, and each participant will be receiving a plaque recognizing their effort.
For more information on plastic film recycling, please contact the Authority at 315-733-1224 or ohswa@ohswa.org. More information can also be found at www.ohswa.org or on the Authority’s Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.