A new plastic film recycling program in Union County is the first of its kind to launch in New Jersey.

Union County residents can help conserve resources and keep plastic out of the waste stream with this new drop-off plastic film recycling program, in partnership with 12 participating municipalities.

The service is free of charge and most of the participating municipalities (Berkeley Heights, Fanwood, Cranford, Elizabeth, Hillside, New Providence, Roselle Park, Scotch Plains, Springfield, Summit, Westfield, and Union) will accept clean, dry plastic film from any county resident, regardless of their hometown.

However, drop-off locations in Fanwood and Summit are not accessible to non-residents at this time.

To protect the recycling stream from contamination, only the following items are accepted:

From the store: produce bags, store bags, and ice bags

From the pantry: Ziploc and other re-closable bags, cereal box liners, case overwrap (for things such as a case of bottled water), and bread bags

From the front door: newspaper sleeves, bubble wrap, and plastic e-commerce mailers.

Only flexible plastic film may be recycled through this program. No clamshells, casings, containers, or other hard plastic items will be accepted.

The company Direct Waste will collect the material from this program and consolidate it for shipping to Trex Company Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of high-performance, low-maintenance composite decking and other outdoor living products made from recycled materials.

“We encourage everyone in the participating municipalities to join in,” said Union County Commissioner Chair Rebecca L. Williams.

Information about locations and scheduling is available here.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

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