Dublin’s garbage collection company, Amador Valley Industries (AVI), recently sent out an annual mailer in which it asked customers not to place recyclable plastic bags in with other recyclable materials for pick-up. While AVI was clear about what not to do, it failed to offer any guidance on how environmentally-conscious residents can help to recycle plastic bags. This oversight prompted concerned Dublin resident and homeowner Scott Hayes to seek guidance from the City of Dublin on AVI’s apparent omission.

“In their newsletter, AVI offered absolutely no guidance on what to actually do with these bags. Even though it’s passing the buck on something that is clearly their job, they at least could have mentioned to check with the local grocery store to see if they will recycle the bags,” said Hayes. “If the 99 Ranch Supermarket in Dublin can recycle these bags, why can’t Amador Valley Industries?”

According to the City of Dublin, plastic bags are not included in the curbside program because they create significant challenges for curbside mixed-recycling programs. After recyclables are collected, they are taken to a facility to be sorted before they can be sent to market for resale. Plastic bags can get stuck in the sorting machines, cause significant damage to the processing pipeline, and potentially shut down all recycling operations in Dublin.

“While it is not the most convenient manner of recycling plastic bags, the proper way to recycle them is to take them to your local supermarket for collection,” explains City of Dublin Senior Administrative Analyst Roger Bradley, “In the future, the City will attempt to incorporate useful recycling tips for plastic bags and other items either through the newsletter if we can or through other outreach efforts such as the website.”

AVI has also excluded recycled plastic bags from its curbside collection due to cost considerations. The market for recycled plastic bags remains undeveloped. The cost of recovering plastic bags, given the damage they can cause and the processing resources they consume, is extremely high relative to the revenue they generate. In the mean time, the City of Dublin and AVI recommend that residents continue dropping off used plastic bags at local supermarkets for recycling.