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TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS •�`�� % j - Contra
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FROM: HARVEY E. -BRAGDON COSta
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DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ' L
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DATE: October 8, 1991
SUBJECT: RECYCLING OF LDPE (POLYETHYLENE FILM)
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
RECOMMENDATIONS
Provide information to the public to assist consumers in
identifying the various types of plastics used for-bags, packaging;
Provide information' to the press and public on stores located in
Contra Costa County which collect LDPE bags from their customers
and update the information on a regular basis;
Assist dry cleaners and grocery and drug stores' in developing an
LDPE bag collection program for their customers either on their own
or in cooperation with other stores;
Request that the Board of Supervisors adopt as policy support for
collection of LDPE bags by all grocery and drug stores and dry
cleaners and seek support from cities through their own, adoption of
a similar policy.
Request that the Board of Supervisors and the cities in Contra
Costa County propose and support legislation which requires minimum
post consumer content in LDPE bags sold in California as well as
legislation which encourages the use of only one resin type in
specified products, such as grocery bags.
BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
Low density polyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density
polyethylene (LLDPE) are identified by the Society of Plastics
Industries with the number 4; these materials are used to
manufacture plastic film for: grocery, drug and departm ore
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CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: XX YES SIGNATUR
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECO E ION OF1D COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER 7
SIGNATURE(S) :
ACTION OF BOARD ONAPPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A
UNANIMOUS (ABSENT TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN
AYES: NOES: ACTION TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
Orig: Community Development Department ' ATTESTED Lf'z A (f/ / 9 9/
cc: Plastics Task Force (via CDD) PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
AND COU TY ADMINISTRATOR
BY , DEPUTY .
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Recycling of LDPE (Polyethylene film)
Page Two
bags, dry cleaning bags, pallet wrap, and lawn/leaf bags. LDPE, in
rigid form, is used to manufacture plastic bottle caps, margarine tub
lids, and dish washing detergent bottles.
In many cases the various plastic film types are indistinguishable to
the public. While the Society of Plastics Industries ' coding system
is aimed at identifying the various plastics, few plastic film
products/containers are actually labelled. The symbol for LDPE, number
4, is commonly found only on grocery and dry cleaning bags. Other uses
of plastic film--garbage bags, pallet wrap, department store bags--are
not labelled.
Re-use of the plastic film faces some problems. First, it is difficult
to find markets for the plastic. Second, current prices are around
$. 01 (one cent) per pound when the markets are buying. Third, as noted
above, many of the bags are not labelled with the identifying plastic
resin symbol/number. Fourth, because consumers cannot/do not
distinguish between the different types of plastic, LDPE is often
contaminated when consumers return HDPE bags.
For recycling programs to work they must be easy to implement,
convenient for the participants, and economical.
Several grocery store and drug store chains have established programs
to recycle LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE plastic bags and pallet wrap. Customers
may return their used plastic bags to participating stores and place
them in recycling containers. Pallet wrap is collected from shipments.
The collected plastics are then returned by each store to the central
warehouse where it is baled for marketing. Additionally, some stores
are now limiting or reducing the use of plastics by re-introducing
paper bags, selling re-usable material bags, or encouraging customers
to re-use bags they already have.
The chart below shows the status of recycling plastics and re-
introducing paper bags in grocery/drug stores:
STORE LDPE HDPE PALLET WRAP PAPER BAGS
Frys/SaveMart X
Luckys X X X
. Safeway X X X
Nob Hill
Petrini's
Longs X
Payless
Thrifty
While the large grocery/drug store chains have company policies and
central warehouses for collecting/baling, dry cleaners are largely
independent operations. However, the dry cleaning industry is also
beginning to address the need for plastics recycling.
Apple Plastics, a large Los Angeles manufacturer of dry cleaning bags,
collects the bags back from its distributors. The distributors provide
bins and liners to their dry cleaners and collect these when they are
full. The plastic is returned to Apple Plastics and reprocessed into
new bags. Also, at the dry cleaners California Fabricare Institute
Annual Conference this past August, active participation in plastics
recovery was scheduled for discussion.
Return of LDPE bags by consumers to. local stores is clearly convenient
for participants. Working with stores throughout the County will
Recycling of LDPE (Polyethylene film)
Page Three
expand already existing collection programs and is more easily
implemented than attempting to develop a different collection system.
To assure that these collection programs continue and can be expanded
requires them to remain economically viable. To be economically viable,
the collected materials must be relatively free 'of contamination,
including free of other plastics types. Public education about the
various types of plastics and action by the State to encourage the use
of only one resin type in specified products, such as grocery bags, is
important in reducing contamination.
On September 19, 1991, the Plastics Task Force reviewed this report and
concurred with the approach outlined in the recommendations.
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