Secret Shopper: Are pouches recyclable?Secret Shopper: Are pouches recyclable?

Secret Shopper: My kids love pouched products for snacks and in their lunch boxes. But are the pouches recyclable?

Store: That’s the sticking point with pouches: They’re not recyclable. It’s really a bummer because they’re so handy, but as far as I know, it just isn’t possible. But I’m pretty sure the plastic caps are recyclable.

NFM: So pouches are actually less eco-friendly than other packaging?

Store: Well, they do have some advantages. They’re smaller, so manufacturers can pack more pouches into an order, and that saves gas. 

How did this retailer do? 

Our expert educator: Tom Wright, Founder of Sustainable Bizness Practices

"The retailer is correct in that pouches are not recycled—but that doesn’t mean they’re not recyclable. Pouches are laminates, which means multiple materials layered together. Any time a package is made of more than a single material, it’s very hard to recycle. There needs to be a specific infrastructure in place to be able to recover them. There is no such infrastructure for pouches, and nobody is stepping up to create one, so they go in the trash. 

She’s also right in saying that the caps can be recycled, especially if they are made of a No. 1 or No. 2 plastic. But the problem is the caps are so small that they get lost in the sorting line and may not actually get recycled.

As to whether pouches are eco-friendly, it depends on how you look at it. She’s right: Pouches are smaller and lighter than other containers so more can be shipped at once. But that usually means they’re being shipped a very long distance. Is it any better to have just two plants in the U.S. shipping pouched baby food all over the country than to have 50 plants that package baby food in glass jars and don’t have to ship them as far? The other problem with pouches is they’re so lightweight that, like plastic bags, they float easily and blow away in the wind, causing more of a mess."She’s also right in saying that the caps can be recycled, especially if they are made of a No. 1 or No. 2 plastic. But the problem is the caps are so small that they get lost in the sorting line and may not actually get recycled.