The Illinois Plastic Bag Recycling Task Force was formed to raise consumer awareness about plastic bag recycling and its availability in Lake County. The Task Force was charged with implementing a pilot program whose goal is to increase the recovery of plastic bags and other plastic film. Additionally the Task Force is responsible for producing a comprehensive report for the Illinois General Assembly detailing the costs and benefits of at-store plastic bag collection in Lake County, IL.

On January 1, 2008, the Illinois General Assembly enacted the Plastic Bag Recycling Act (P.A. 095-0268) which created the Task Force charged with developing and implementing this pilot program. The Task Force consists of retailers, recyclers, county board members, state representatives, senators, along with the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO), Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. In August 2008, SWALCO contacted the American Chemistry Council (ACC) for assistance in the implementation of the pilot program. ACC has provided technical assistance, outreach and promotional tools and sponsorship funds to enhance recycling efforts and measure results.

Many retail locations (exceeding 10,000 sq ft) in Lake County have implemented plastic bag collection programs voluntarily. SWALCO, IRMA, and ACC have worked with all interested retailers in an attempt to establish new collection programs.

The program will run through December 2009. The Task Force will produce a report for the General Assembly in January 2010.

The program targets businesses and consumers to increase participation in recycling. Participating retailers provide clearly marked receptacles and consumers are asked to remember to return bags and other recyclable film for recycling.

Implementation

In order to get new stores set up with recycling, the Illinois Retail Merchants Association (IRMA) sought corporate level approval. The program efforts are now focused at a local management level, developing in accord with employee training and placement of promotional materials.

Bin Design

The plastic bag collection bin is a critical element of the program. A good bin improves the efficiency of the program for the retail business, but also serves as a promotional tool for consumers. The program urges retailers to use bins and signage provided by the American Chemistry Council and the Solid Waste Agency of Lake County. The bins are manufactured by Windsor Barrel Company.

Promotion

The Task Force issued a press release and hosted a media event to publicize the creation and progress of the pilot program July 20, 2009. The promotional materials are central to achieving a successful recycling system that increases the amount of collected plastics. Signs, posters, bins, and the majority of the promotional materials were provided by the American Chemistry Council. Below is a picture of the bins and one of the posters.

Thus far there are 9 different retail companies on board with our pilot program; retailers include CVS, Jewel-Osco, JCPenney, Sunset Foods, Butera Market, Lowe's Companies, Inc., Piggly Wiggly, PetSmart and Walgreen's. Together these companies represent approximately 60 drop off locations throughout the county, making plastic bag recycling easily accessible to Lake County Residents.