Through a grant from the 2019 Scott County Recycling Infrastructure and Outreach Grants Program, the Recycling Association of Minnesota is working on a project to educate and encourage residents to properly recycle their plastic shopping bags and plastic film. RAM is delighted to have assembled a strong partnership with Dem-Con Companies as well as the American Chemistry Council who have provided the cash and in-kind matching funds. Together, we hope to increase recovery rates and reduce contamination of plastic film materials. Please explore the resources below to learn more about recycling your plastic bags and film in Scott County and around Minnesota!
Where To Recycle Plastic Bags and Film
Below is a list of locations in Scott County that collect plastic shopping bags and films for recycling. These same stores in other cities are also collection points. You’ll find most collection receptacles in or near the entry way.
- Fresh Thyme – Savage
- Hy-Vee – Savage
- Hy-Vee – Shakopee
- Cub Foods – Shakopee
- Walmart – Shakopee
- Radermacher Super Value – Jordan
- Lunds & Byerlys – Prior Lake
- Coborn’s – New Prague
- Scott County Household Hazardous Waste Facility – Jordan – Open by appointment ONLY! Click here to make an appointment
To find more locations that collect plastic bags and films for recycling, click here to visit the W.R.A.P. website!
Have A LOT of plastic bags or film? The companies below provide large-scale recycling services:
Merrick, Inc. – 651-789-6218; 3210 Labore Road, Vadnais Heights, MN 55110
What Happens to Recycled Plastic Bags and Film?
It's In the Bag Program
It’s in the BagTM was a shrink film and plastic bag recycling program of RAM.
A summary of this program is below.
Below, are facilities that accept public drop off of plastic films:
Merrick, Inc. – 651-789-6218; 3210 Labore Road, Vadnais Heights, MN 55110
Hours: Monday – Friday 7:00AM – 3:00PM
AccessAbility, Inc. – 612-801-8393; 360 Hoover St., Minneapolis, MN 55413
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00AM – 4:00PM
To find a plastic film recycling drop-off location in your area, visit this site.
It’s in the BagTM is a plastic bag and film recycling program that provides consumers the opportunity to recycle unwanted plastic bags at participating retail locations. The program also provides employment for adults with disabilities, who collect and sort the plastic material from It’s in the BagTM participating communities.
Consumers may deposit clean and dry plastic bags in specially designed It’s in the BagTM collection bins found at participating retail locations. Work crews from various vocational 
centers around the state collect and transport the material to a processing facility where additional work crews sort and bale the material. The material is then shipped to Trex Company, Inc. where it is recycled into composite lumber, which is used in the construction of decks and railings.
From October 2003 to December 2009, the It’s in the BagTM program recycled more than 5.5 million pounds of plastic bags and film in the Twin Cities metro area. This amount equates to approximately 850,000 square feet of Trex Company, Inc. decking or 1,695 decks that are 500 square feet in size. These numbers rise daily. With the continued participation of residents and businesses throughout the state, the It’s in the BagTM program hopes to keep recycling more than ONE MILLION pounds of plastic bags and film annually.