Curious Iowa: What happens to recycled plastic bags?

Are plastic shopping bags really recyclable? That’s what Coralville resident Mary C. McCarthy wondered when she wrote to Curious Iowa, a series from The Gazette that answers readers’ questions.

While grocers like Hy-Vee and Fareway accept returns of plastic bags in their stores, McCarthy asked whether that’s just an act to make customers feel good.

McCarthy wasn’t the only one curious about plastic bag recycling. Cedar Rapids resident Seth Lane also wrote to Curious Iowa with a similar question: What happens to the bags after they’re returned to the store? He told The Gazette he’s passionate about recycling. He’s been collecting cans and bottles from ditches along Iowa roadways even before the five-cent redemption law was enacted.

To answer McCarthy and Lane’s questions, we spoke with an Iowa-based company that recycles plastic bags, turning them into benches and picnic tables.

Who makes products from recycled plastic bags?

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Donavon Reed is the vice president of production at Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls. The company makes industrial moldings and custom moldings, he said, “but our main focus is park benches, picnic tables, traffic control products, a little bit of everything.” The facility, at 10252 Hwy 65 in Iowa Falls, processes approximately 35,000 pounds of plastics every day. This includes plastic bags, shrink wrap, and some food and medical packaging.

The company started manufacturing recycled plastics in 1986.

“There’s been a huge growth probably in the last 20 years,” Reed said. “I believe in 1986 it was kind of a niche market that people were getting into.”

Plastics are sourced a few different ways. Some of it is given to the company and some of it the company purchases.

“It depends on where it comes from,” Reed said. “Some just don’t want it to be landfilled and give it away but many of the recycling facilities sell it to us as a commodity.”

Other plastic recycling companies exist, like Trex, which makes decking boards using recycled plastic film and reclaimed sawdust.

How are plastic bags recycled?

The first step to turning a plastic bag into a picnic table or bench is sorting bags. Once sorted, the plastic bags are shredded and ground into small flakes.

“And after it’s in that plastic flake, we can bring it over to our … manufacturing side and we basically have a recipe that we create.” Reed said. That recipe includes blending together different types of plastics and mixing in colors and additives. From there, the mixture goes through an extruder, which heats the plastic mixture while pushing it through a shaft to form a specific shape.“

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After the product has cooled in a tank of water, the part is removed and sent to one of the company’s fabrication departments, to be cut or engraved. It can be turned into a bench of put on a picnic table frame. After that, it’s shipped to the customer.

The products made from recycled plastic can withstand high heat and heavy snowfall due to the composition of the molded plastic. While Reed said the company doesn’t know the exact life span of its products, they provide a 50-year warranty.

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“Also, if an item were found to be defective, we can bring it back to our facility and grind the product and use it again.” Reed said. “We can essentially use the plastic over and over without having to discard any of the product to the landfill.”

Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls products can be found in parks across the country, including the Wapsi Bluff Shelter at Pinicon Ridge Park in Central City. A hex-table, like the ones in Pinicon Ridge Park, costs $1,237.60. Other styles of picnic table cost between $1,000 and $1,410. Benches range from $310 to $840, depending on bench style.

What is the Build with Bags program?

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Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls participates in the Build With Bags program, which started in 2010. The program combines the efforts of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association (IGIA), Keep Iowa Beautiful, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Metro Waste Authority and Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls to increase recycling efforts and award grant funding to purchase products made from recycled plastic grocery bags.

Over the past 14 years, the program has "empowered“ Iowa grocers to implement their own procedures for recycling and sustainability, like offering places for bags to be recycled and encouraging the use of reusable bags.

“We’re proud of the Build With Bags program, it has been a great way to directly benefit Iowa communities and show people the impact of plastic recycling.” IGIA President Michelle Hurd said. “Grants are awarded for park equipment like tables and benches that are made from recycled materials.”

Hurd said the IGIA has awarded 218 grants over the past 14 years totaling $362,000.

According to the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, one park bench represents approximately 10,600 bags. Last year, $13,267 in grants were award to eight recipients, including Chapel View Manor in Mount Vernon.

To apply for a Build With Bags grant, visit https://www.iowagrocers.com.

What can you do with your plastic bags?

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If you have plastic bags you want off your hands, what should you do? In Cedar Rapids, Marion, Coralville and Iowa City, plastic bags are not accepted in curbside recycling. The Gazette previously reported that at Republic Services, the facility serving Cedar Rapids and Marion, plastic bags can get wrapped around machinery and cause breakdowns.

Recycling facilities serving other parts of the state may have the capacity to accept plastic bags, so check the requirements for the recycling facility in your area before putting plastic bags in curbside bins.

Reed said Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls does not have the capacity to receive plastic bags from residents individually, so they encourage Iowans to take bags to a local recycling facility. Those facilities can then bale the material, which helps Plastic Recycling of Iowa Falls acquire the material in bulk. Each bale weighs around 1,500 pounds. Right now, the company only receives plastic material from within Iowa.

So what should you do with your spare plastic bags in the Corridor? Local retailers like Hy-Vee and Fareway have bins designated for plastic bag recycling in their stores. McCarthy, who volunteers with CommUnity Food Bank, said they accept plastic bag donations, so long as the bags are clean and free of holes and rips.

Regardless of how you recycle, Reed said, “Do it. It’s not that hard to do. It’s great for the environment. It’s great for our kids and grandkids and we [have] got to keep our state clean.”

Have a question for Curious Iowa?

Tell us what to investigate next. Curious Iowa is a Gazette series that answers readers’ questions about our state, its people and the culture.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com