Plastic film—like grocery bags, bread bags, and some packaging wraps—often raises questions. People want to recycle it, but they’re not always sure what happens after they drop it off.
This video from the Recycling Is Real campaign helps make the process easier to understand. It takes viewers inside a Novolex recycling facility in North Vernon, Indiana, and shows what happens after plastic film is collected through store drop-off programs—step by step.
What happens after you drop off plastic film?
Recycling plastic film doesn’t stop at the collection bin. Once film is dropped off at participating retail locations, it is gathered and sent to recycling facilities, like Novolex’s, designed specifically to handle film. In the video you can see various steps in the recycling process that takes used film and transforms it into a new product.
The video shows that film can be recycled when it’s collected and processed through the right systems. That distinction matters, because plastic film isn’t compatible with most curbside recycling programs.
Why store drop-off matters
Traditionally, curbside recycling has been designed for rigid materials like bottles, cans, paper, and cardboard. Plastic film is thin and flexible, and when it enters curbside recycling facilities, it can wrap around screens and moving parts, jamming equipment and forcing shutdowns so workers can remove it by hand.
Store drop-off programs provide that separate pathway. When plastic film is returned to participating retail locations, it can be collected specifically for recycling and sent to facilities like Novolex that are equipped to handle it. This helps keep film out of curbside systems—where it can cause problems—and directs it to operations designed to recycle it properly.
Find the plastic film recycling option that works for you
Recycling options for plastic film can vary depending on where you live. Use our map tool to find film recycling options near you.
▶️ Watch the video to see plastic film recycling at a Novolex facility, and use our Map tool to find a drop-off option that works for you.
