Minnesota Waste Wise

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It’s in the Bag is a Twin Cities-based plastic bag and film recycling program managed by Minnesota Waste Wise, a subsidiary of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

Consumers may deposit clean and dry plastic bags in specially designed It’s in the Bag collection bins found at participating locations. Work crews from Merrick, Inc., a local nonprofit that works with adults with disabilities, will collect and transport the material to a processing facility where additional work crews sort and bale the material. The material is then shipped to Trex Company, Inc. where it is recycled into composite lumber used in the construction of decks and railings.

Program Results
More than 3.25 million pounds of plastic bags and film were recycled in the first four years of the It’s in the Bag program. This amount equates to approximately 540,000 square feet of Trex Company, Inc. decking or 675 decks that are 800 square feet in size. This amount also equates to diverting approximately 380 cubic yards of plastic film out of landfills. With the participation of residents and businesses, the It’s in the Bag program hopes to continue recycling more than ONE MILLION pounds of plastic annually.

Please contact Minnesota Waste Wise at (651) 292-4662 for more information.

How to Participate

Download 2008 It's in the Bag brochure to learn how you can participate. For more information, contact Mark Blaiser at Minnesota Waste Wise at (651) 292-4663 or mblaiser@mnchamber.com.

Residential
Deposit clean and dry plastic bags in specially designed It’s in the Bag collection bins found at participating locations.

Commercial
Three options for participation:

1. Grocers, retailers and dry cleaners can host an It’s in the Bag collection bin for consumer plastic bags. Then collect and store plastic bags from consumers and plastic film from business activities. The material will be picked up by Merrick on a scheduled route for a collection fee.
2. Manufacturers and other businesses can collect and store plastic film material generated from shipping/receiving and other activities. The material will be collected by Merrick on a scheduled basis for a collection fee. Purchasing an It’s in the Bag collection bin is optional.
3. Collect and deliver consumer plastic film material to Merrick, Inc.’s processing facility at no charge.

All participating commercial locations that wish to participate in the It’s in the Bag program and have Merrick, Inc. collect the material are required to:

• Become a member of Minnesota Waste Wise
• If material is collected by Merrick, pay a pickup fee to cover collection costs
• Purchase an It’s in the Bag collection bin if collecting plastic bags from consumers

Collection Sites

It's in the Bag collection bins can be found throughout the metropolitan area at the following Twin Cities locations: Almsted's, Andover Recycling Center, Byerly's, Coon Rapids Recycling Center, Coopers, Cub Foods, Dakota County Eco-Site, Fresh and Natural Foods, Fresh Seasons Market, Hennepin County Recycling Centers in Bloomington and Brooklyn Park, Jerry's Foods, Kowalski's Markets, Lunds, Rick's, Sunnyside, Twin Cities Natural Foods Co-ops and the U of M St. Paul Bookstore.
Complete listing of collection locations.

Program Founders and Sponsors

For a fact sheet about the Partners and Funders, click here.

Partner Organizations
    
   

Additional Funding Provided By:
American Plastics Council
GreenGuardian.com
Minnesota Grocers Association
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Pioneer Press
Star Tribune
Target

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