San Juan County, WA Launches Pilot Program to Expand Plastic Film Recycling for San Juan Island

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): San Juan County, in partnership with SC Johnson, a manufacturer of household consumer brands, is kicking off a pilot program to recycle plastic film. This is the fourth program of its kind to launch in Washington and is an expansion of the successful plastic film collection program in the Town of Friday Harbor. Through this pilot program, San Juan County residents outside of Friday Harbor can recycle clean and dry plastic bags, plastic storage bags such as Ziploc® brand bags, plastic grocery and produce bags, plastic shipping envelopes, and other flexible plastic film by dropping off collected material in a “Plastic Film Only” bin at Marketplace at 515 Market Street.

“The average American produces over 200 pounds of plastic waste every year, and much of that comes from packaging. Recycling plastic film will help with our community’s overall effort to reduce our landfill waste and the amount of plastic that ends up in the marine environment,” said Katie Fleming, San Juan County’s Solid Waste Coordinator in the Department of Environmental Stewardship.

Prior to this expanded, county-wide effort, Friday Harbor, Point Roberts, and Shelton and Mason County partnered with SC Johnson on plastic film recycling programs. They are part of a larger effort by SC Johnson to reduce plastic waste. Collectively, the programs have stopped an estimated 40 thousand pounds of plastic film from potentially ending up in landfills.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com