Recycling: it’s a mark of environmentally conscious, responsible, upstanding citizens all over the world, and it’s so simple! Right? Well, yes... But did you know you might actually be doing it wrong?

It may be hard to hear, but if you are bagging your plastic bottles, metal cans, and paper and cardboard in plastic bags before putting them in your recycle bin, you’re actually hurting the cause. (But don’t worry, you’re not alone.)

Many well-meaning folks are in the habit of bagging recyclables, but unfortunately, this is a problematic practice. Community material recovery facilities (i.e. recycle processing facilities) are not equipped to handle plastic bags. The bags can jam processing equipment, interrupt operations, and even put workers in danger since the process to remove the bags from machines requires workers to scale equipment and use sharp knives to dislodge them.

All of this has the regrettable effect of costing cities and municipalities hundreds and thousands of dollars in productivity and makes recycling less profitable.

The good news is it’s an easy fix: just stop putting your recyclables in plastic bags! Instead, put them directly into your recycle bin.

As for what to do with those plastic bags? Reuse them, and when you’re done, recycle them at the appropriate location. Most supermarkets and big box stores have containers just for recycling plastic bags, where they can get processed into more plastic bags or composite lumber. Now that you know the right way to recycle, spread the word to your family and friends!