Can You Recycle Dog Food Bags? (6 Helpful Tips)
I have two dogs, which means that empty dog food bags pile up in my trash can at the end of every month, and being an environmentally conscious guy, this occurrence really bothers me.
I started looking into solutions to toss out the empty dog food bags. So instinctively, the first question that crossed my mind was whether I could recycle the bags, and I went ahead to carry out some research.
Are Dog Food Bags Recyclable?
Dog food bags are not recyclable, and it all comes down to what the bags are made of. The food bags are made of diverse layers of plastic, paper, and foil that can’t be easily broken down into their source components. As a result, the bag as a whole is not recyclable.
We should be putting pressure on dog food manufacturers to adapt to packaging materials that are less harmful to the environment.
What Are Most Dog Food Bags Made Of?
Dog food manufacturers mostly use a fusion of various materials to create robust and lightweight packaging for their dog food. The materials used may be cost-efficient and convenient, but they pose a threat to the environment.
Dog food manufacturers such as Purina are increasingly switching to flexible plastic materials like polypropylene for dog food bags because it is: lightweight for shipping, more rigid than paper, keeps the food fresher, and lowers material cost.
The use of polypropylene is nonetheless harmful to the environment. It is disappointing to see that dog food manufacturers are not moving with the rest of the world towards less use of plastic and sustainable packaging.
Where Can You Dispose Of The Empty Dog Food Bags?
Disposing of empty dog food bags might seem to be a simple task, but it isn’t such a walkover – especially if you’re trying to stay environmentally conscious when doing it.
Currently, recycling plastic dog food bags is very challenging. Most recycling programs can’t effectively sort polypropylene therefore they reject Purina dog food packaging.
Nevertheless, Purina is conducting research in collaboration with another product and packaging manufacturer – Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF) in a bid to find a cost-effective solution to separate and make money from recycling the plastic dog food bags.
Visit Purina’s site for their recycling guide that allows you to look at the various pet food packages they can recycle.
Another company with a recycling program is Terracycle. They collect, or you can ship Wellness and Open Farm pet-food bags for recycling to them. The food bags are then shredded and melted into hard plastic to be reformed into new recycled products.
An upside of using Terracycle to sort your disposal issue is that they give out points when you ship the empty dog food bags to them. For shipments over 5 lbs, you get 100p points per pound.
The points are redeemable for various charitable gifts, product bundles, or a payment of $0.01 per point to any non-profit organization or school of your choice.
Different places have contrasting regulations on how households should dispose of waste or recycling. You first need to find out if your local council permits recycling before you can decide how you get rid of the empty dog food bags.
Pro Tip: Before shipping the dog food bags, always make sure they are empty, and if you wash them, they should be dried.
The Shift To Eco-Friendly Dog Food Packaging
Many consumers nowadays are shifting their path towards a more sustainable future, and most of them are changing what they buy as a result. An article by the Nielsen Report shows that a majority of consumers are willing to alter their consumption to protect the environment.
Others even mentioned they would be all for a brand if it changed to eco-friendlier packaging.
Many dog food manufacturers are rethinking their ecological footprint concerning packaging in an effort to achieve their own sustainability goals and satisfy ethical and health-conscious consumers. They are replacing non-sustainable elements with renewable materials.
New paper and single-material flexible packaging solutions made for sustainability can positively impact the environment.
The journey to make dog food bags eco-friendlier is not cheap or straightforward as it requires hefty investment and dedication, but the long-term results are worth it.
We all need to protect our planet from plastic waste, and it’s high time dog food manufacturers follow the path towards more sustainable packaging choices.
What Are The Benefits Of Eco-Friendly Dog Food Packaging?
Here are 5 advantages of eco-friendly dog food bags:
Reduces Carbon Footprint
The product life cycle of packaging dog food undergoes various phases, and each phase releases a particular amount of carbon into the environment.
Eco-friendly packaging uses different methods, thus reducing the general carbon emission, thereby reducing your carbon footprint.
Expands Customer Base
Customers are more interested in purchasing products that reduce their carbon footprint and help protect the environment.
Boosts Brand Image
Using eco-friendly dog food packages will improve your company’s image and increase customer loyalty. Nowadays, people are more environmentally conscious and constantly looking for ways to impact the environment positively.
By using eco-friendly dog food bags, you’re allowing the consumers to participate in saving the planet.
Reduces Shipping & Storage Costs
Using fewer materials to create dog food bags reduces shipping and storage charges. Sales will significantly increase once you take advantage of the reduced transport cost.
It’s Biodegradable
Dog food bags designed using sustainable paper products are recyclable and even compostable, unlike bags made of plastic which take hundreds of years to break down.
Ideas To Dispose Of Pet Food Bags
Here are some creative ways to do away with empty dog food bags. You can transform them into :
- Aprons
- Table mats
- Shopping bags
- Seat covers
Conclusion
Our fluffy buddies consume a great deal of food, so we end up with many dog food bags in the trash, which are harmful to the environment when disposed of carelessly.
Even though dog food packages aren’t recyclable, there are other approaches to toss them out. Sustainably disposing of empty dog food bags is tricky but not entirely impossible.
I have brought you up to speed on several ways to unload the empty dog food packages in a less environmentally destructive manner to ensure we keep this planet clean and safe for future generations.
You just have to read up, stay informed and put all I have mentioned to practice.
References
Napa Recycling and Waste Services
Royal Canin Partners with Terracycle to Enable Consumers to Recycle Pet Food Packaging