Plastic bag recycling in effect in Calgary

In April 2003, the City of Calgary began taking plastic bags for recycling at all 45 residential recycling depots to divert plastic waste at landfills and produce a composite building product. Plastic bags to be accepted include: grocery bags, shopping bags, sandwich or lunch bags, bread bags, clothing/garment bags, and bubble wrap (bags should be clean and free of debris). Exceptions include potato chip bags, or other bags of similar foil material. Calgary, Alberta-based Merlin Plastics will process the material into flakes, mix them with sawdust and make a building product. 
 
In 2002, a pilot program involved three recycling depots and resulted in the collection of 10,555 kilograms of plastic bags. 
 
Dave Griffiths, general manager of the city’s waste and recycling services, says there is now a reliable and steady market for this material. However, the city is still searching for a plastic recycler that is able to handle a large volume of mixed plastics, such as yogurt, margarine and shampoo containers. 
 
Addresses for the recycling depots are available at www.calgary.ca 
 
For further information, contact Karen Spelay at 403-230-6632