Plastic Recycling

Turning Plastic Waste Into Opportunity

Merrick’s Plastic Recycling Program provides meaningful employment opportunities for 28 individuals with disabilities while diverting nearly 1 million pounds of plastic from local landfills and incinerators every year.

We offer convenient recycling pickup services for businesses and accept community drop-offs at our Vadnais Heights location.

When you recycle with Merrick, you’re helping protect the environment and support opportunities for people in our community.

Why Choose Merrick?

Supports employment opportunities for people with disabilities
Keeps plastic out of local landfills and incinerators
Convenient recurring pickup service for businesses
Local nonprofit with measurable community impact

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Recycling Guidelines

As a general guideline, we accept clean, dry plastic bags, film, wrap, and flexible foam packaging. If the material stretches when you pull it, there’s a good chance we can recycle it. If it tears like paper or has a shiny, crinkly texture, it is typically not accepted.

Not sure if your plastic is recyclable with us? Use the guide below to find out what we accept and what we don’t.

Can We Recycle It?
Use these quick questions to help you determine whether your plastic is accepted.
- Does it stretch when you pull it?
  
  If yes, then we recycle it!
- Does it tear like paper?
  
  If yes, then we do not recycle it.
- Is it shiny or does it make a crunchy sound?
  
  If yes, then we do not recycle it.
- What's the plastic type?
  
  We primarily recycle #2 and #4 plastic.
- Requirements
  
  All plastic must be:
  
  Clean
  
  Dry
  
  Free of food residue
  
  Sticky labels are okay. There's no need to remove them.

Accepted Materials
We accept all colors of the following materials:
- Stretch wrap and pallet wrap
- Plastic shipping materials (bubble wrap, air pillows, plastic mailers)
- Retail and grocery bags
- Food storage and packaging bags (Ziploc®, bread, cereal, and pasta bags)
- Produce bags
- Dry cleaning bags
- Newspaper sleeves
- Garbage bags and liners
- Plastic overwrap from paper products and beverage cases
- Furniture and mattress wrap
- Wood pellet, salt, and ice bags
- Soft, flexible foam packaging

Non-Accepted Materials
We do not accept the following materials:
- Wet material
- Hard plastic (e.g. water bottles)
- Pallet strapping
- Freight/shipping air sacs
- Material containing nylon (sometimes looks like a grid in the plastic—common in pet food bags & freight/shipping air sacs)
- Biodegradable/compostable bags or film packaging
- Adhesives
- Sticker backing
- Organic material (including paper & cardboard)
- Frozen food bags
- Pre-washed salad mix bags
- Six-pack rings
- Aluminum-lined &/or metallic-looking packaging (ex. Chip bags & candy bar wrappers)
- Rubber
- Metal

Contact Our Team

Marissa Jenson
Assistant Production Director
(651) 789-6218
MarissaJ@MerrickInc.org

Start Recycling With Us