How to Recycle Bubble Mailers (Plastic)
Plastic bubble mailers and similar flexible plastic shipping padding. Not accepted in curbside recycling anywhere in the US; instead recyclable through the same retail store drop-off network used for plastic bags and film.
Quick answer
Not in curbside recycling. Plastic bubble mailers are flexible film that tangles sorting equipment at recycling facilities, the same reason grocery bags aren't curbside-recyclable. Instead, take clean, all-plastic bubble mailers to a store drop-off bin - there are more than 20,000 nationwide at over 60 retail partners, and 'mailer bags' and 'bubble wrap' are explicitly on the accepted list. Paper-and-bubble hybrid mailers usually have to be trashed unless you can separate the layers.
- Recyclable
- Yes
- Recycling code
- FILM
- 1Remove paper shipping labels and any paper insert if possible
- 2Deflate the air pockets so it packs flat
- 3Wipe off any residue with a dry cloth
- 4Gather with other clean plastic film to drop off in one trip
- 5Look for a How2Recycle 'Store Drop-Off' label for confirmation
- Grocery and retail store film drop-off bins (20,000+ locations, 60+ retail partners)
- Municipal plastic film collection points, where available
Recycle with plastic film at a grocery or retail store drop-off bin, not curbside. The Plastic Film Recycling Directory lists mailer bags, bubble wrap, and shipping air pillows as accepted items at its 20,000+ partner locations.
Recycling flexible plastic film, including bubble mailers, cuts greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 8-23% compared to producing new film, and keeps a common piece of e-commerce packaging out of landfills and waterways.
Why can't plastic bubble mailers go in the curbside bin?
US recycling infrastructure isn't built for small, thin, lightweight plastic film. At a materials recovery facility, film can fly loose and wrap around sorting equipment, forcing the whole line to stop while workers cut it free. That's true of plastic bubble mailers, plastic bags, and most flexible plastic packaging alike.
How do I find a drop-off location for bubble mailers?
Use the map tool at plasticfilmrecycling.org, which covers more than 20,000 locations at over 60 retail partners nationwide, including many major grocery and big-box chains. Look for a How2Recycle 'Store Drop-Off' label on the package itself for confirmation that a specific item is accepted.
What about mailers that are part paper, part bubble wrap?
Those are mixed material and generally not accepted either curbside or at a plastic film drop-off. If you can peel the paper and plastic apart, recycle each separately; if the layers are bonded together, it goes in the trash.
Recycling centers that accept Bubble Mailers (Plastic)
RecycleFind lists recycling centers that accept bubble mailers (plastic). Open a listing for hours, contact info, and directions.