Why We Don’t Recycle Household Plastics (and What We Do Instead)

At AgTech Recycling, we get calls every week from people asking if we take water bottles, milk jugs, or grocery bags. We completely understand the confusion — after all, plastic is plastic, right? Not quite.

While all plastics may look similar, they’re made for very different purposes and processed in very different ways. Our facility specializes in post-industrial plastics — and to a lesser extent, agricultural plastics — not household items. Here’s why.

Common household plastics like bottles, jugs, and bags are made from different resins than the post-industrial plastics AgTech Recycling processes.

Not All Plastics Are Created Equal

Most everyday plastics are designed for short-term use — think drink bottles, food containers, and packaging film. These are usually made from resins like #1 (PET) or #2 (HDPE) and often mixed with other materials such as dyes, paper labels, or food residue.

Post-industrial plastics, on the other hand, come from manufacturing and production facilities — things like scrap film or rejected product runs. These materials are typically cleaner, made of a single resin type, and produced in large, consistent volumes.

That consistency is key. It allows AgTech to efficiently clean, grind, and reprocess plastics into recycled resin that can go right back into manufacturing new products.

Why Household Plastics Don’t Fit Our Process

Recycling household plastics requires an entirely different setup — one that’s built for smaller, highly mixed materials. The process involves:

• Sorting many resin types (#1–#7)

• Removing paper, food residue, and other contaminants

• Handling lower, inconsistent volumes

Our equipment is designed for large-scale, uniform materials like clean production scrap — not mixed curbside plastics. Taking household plastics would actually slow down processing and increase contamination risk in the recycled resin we produce.

That’s why AgTech Recycling focuses on post-industrial plastic waste — the kind generated by manufacturers, warehouses, and other industrial operations that produce clean, single-type scrap.

Where to Take Household Plastics

If you’re wondering where to recycle water bottles or milk jugs, your best option is your local county or city recycling program. Many municipalities accept #1 and #2 plastics through curbside or drop-off centers.

If you’re not sure what’s available in your area, check with your local solid waste department or visit your county’s website for recycling locations and accepted materials.

Doing Our Part for a Cleaner Future

AgTech Recycling is proud to help businesses and industries turn scrap plastic into something new. By focusing on post-industrial recycling, we’re keeping tons of clean, reusable material out of landfills and helping manufacturers close the loop in sustainable production.

Have questions about what we recycle or how to partner with us?

👉 Contact us at [email protected]. We would love to help your business find a sustainable solution.