Are Mailing Bags Recyclable?

Now more than ever, consumers are turning to online shopping as a huge part of their lifestyle. With the ease of browsing the web on your computer or phone and ordering your shopping straight to your doorstep, it’s no wonder that e-commerce is booming. With businesses needing to dispatch a large quantity of customer orders in a short time frame whilst ensuring the contents are kept well protected, high quality printed packaging is required to speed up operations and maintain a strong brand image. As well as the aesthetics and practicalities, considering the environmental is also a huge factor in today’s day and age. Both businesses and consumers alike are becoming more aware of their environmental impact and the damage that single use packaging is having on our planet, filling up landfill sites and causing harm to our wildlife system. We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people asking ‘are mailing bags recyclable?’, so we’ve broken down the most common options to help you clear up any confusion.

Polythene mailing bags

Being one of the most popular packaging options for lightweight goods such as clothing, custom mailing bags are a low cost solution for businesses which offer water resistant properties and convenience, but are plastic mailing bags recyclable? Many mailing bags are not recyclable in household facilities but can be taken to carrier bag collection points if made out of the classic LDPE materials. If you are looking to make a switch to a more sustainable packaging and answer yes to customers who ask ‘are plastic mailing bags recyclable?’, The Printed Bag Shop stock 100% recyclable mailing bags which can be ethically disposed of at home.

Padded envelopes

For many businesses, padded paper envelopes are used to keep costs low for small deliveries whilst offering protection to the goods within. To create the padding inside, bubble wrap or foam is used which make the packaging non-recyclable due to the contrasting materials used. If your customers choose to deconstruct the envelope to separate the paper from the liner, they can each be recycled separately but this can be a fiddly process which may deter shoppers from making the effort to do so.

Cardboard postal boxes

Unlike traditional mailing bags, some businesses opt for postal boxes due to their luxury finish which can make the unboxing process a more premium experience. By creating an aesthetic appearance and offering additional protection to the contents within, postal boxes are more suited to more luxury products such as jewellery and cosmetics. As well as their appearance, cardboard postal boxes are super easy to recycle in household facilities, making them easy to dispose of by breaking down the box and popping into the recycling bin. Depending on how they are delivered, they also have the potential to be reused, unlike more traditional mailing bags which can only be used the once.