The City of Falcon Heights is pleased to announce a new plastic film recycling program! You can bring your clean plastic grocery bags, bubble wrap, bubble mailers, Ziploc bags, and product overwrap (from packages of paper towels and toilet paper, for example) to the new collection bin at City Hall. A full list of the accepted items is below and is also posted next to the new container. Stop by City Hall and drop off your excess plastic bags and other plastic films instead of throwing them away!

Stretchy plastics like grocery bags are usually difficult to recycle because they get caught in the machines that sort cans, bottles, and paper products at the recycling center. However, companies like NexTrex can take plastic films and recycle them into Trex plastic decking! The City of Falcon Heights will be using the company Merrick, Inc which sorts and bales plastic films and ships them off to NexTrex. 

Update (March 6, 2025)

It has been so exciting to see the community’s response to the new plastic film recycling drop-off! We have already collected over 30lbs of plastic films that have been diverted from the landfill.

In that vein, we have had some questions about certain items. The most important thing you can do to determine if an item can be recycled at City Hall or a grocery store is to test if it stretches. For example, plastic resealable shredded cheese bags, resealable bags of nuts, pre-washed salad bags, resealable freeze-dried dog food bags, crinkly large pasta bags, and most resealable produce bags (such as 2-pound bags of apples) CANNOT be recycled. Check out the NexTrex website to find visual examples of accepted items.

If the product has the How2Recycle label and it is listed as “Store Drop-off”, it can be taken to City Hall. For example, some potato and orange bags that are stretchy plastic on one side and have a net/mesh backing that have the “Store Drop-off” label can be recycled! The soft produce bags you find in the fresh produce section are recyclable if they are made of plastic (some stores’ bags are now compostable). You can also check a bag to see if it has the #2 HDPE label or the #4 LDPE label inside the little recycling triangle. Remember that all items must be clean, dry, and free of all food residue. Rinse them out and let them dry!

Accepted Materials

We accept clean plastics that stretch when pulled. All plastics must be clean, dry, and free of food and other residues. Items that are #2 and #4 plastic films are accepted. Small adhesive labels are okay, but remove large labels if possible. Please read the following list carefully to ensure your item is accepted. For visual examples of the accepted materials, check out NexTrex's website. 

• Pallet wrap & stretch film
• Case overwrap
• Product wrap
• Garbage bags/liners
• Toilet paper/paper towel/water bottle wrapping
• Salt bags
• Ice bags
• Non-paper bubble mailers & other plastic mailers
• Grocery/retail bags
• Ziploc & other re-sealable food storage bags
• Bread bags
• Cereal/pasta bags
• Dry cleaning bags
• Newspaper sleeves
• Produce bags
• Carpet overwrap
• Furniture foam wrap
• Heat sheets
• Mattress bags
• Wood pellet bags
• Bubble wrap
• Soft flexible foam

Materials Not Accepted

We cannot take the following materials. Food wrappers that contain foil are not accepted (listen for a crinkling sound!). If it tears like paper, it cannot be recycled through this program. Many hard plastics can be recycled in your curbside recycling. Compostable items can be dropped off at a Ramsey County Food Scraps Drop Off site.

• Wet material
• Hard plastic (e.g. water bottles)
• Pallet strapping
• Freight/shipping air sacs
• Material containing nylon (sometimes looks like a grid in the plastic—common in pet food bags & freight/shipping air sacs)
• Biodegradable/compostable bags or film packaging
• Adhesives
• Sticker backing
• Organic material (including paper & cardboard)
• Frozen food bags
• Pre-washed salad mix bags
• Six-pack rings
• Aluminum-lined &/or metallic-looking packaging (ex. Chip bags & candy bar wrappers)
• Rubber
• Metal

Want to hang the list of accepted materials in your own kitchen? Pick up a paper copy at City Hall, or download a printable version of the list here!

Plastic film recycling printable list