Do Grocery Stores Really Recycle Your Plastic Bags? I Put 7 Major Chains to the Test.

By Rick Galliher 

If you want your plastic bags recycled, the grocery store chain you choose to go to makes a difference. Some grocery chains in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties recycle consistently, while others send off the contents of their recycling bins to a Virginia landfill or incinerator.

How Plastic Bag Recycling Works in Northern Virginia

The largest plastic bag recycler in the United States is Trex. Through their NexTrex recycling program, they mix melted, ground-up plastic bags with hardwood sawdust to make composite boards for outside decking and railing. Their headquarters is in Winchester, Virginia, and they have two other locations in Nevada and Arkansas.

Trex primarily buys and recycles plastic film—the soft, stretchy plastic used in grocery bags, Amazon blue mailers, bubble wrap, and pallet wrap. Since single use plastic bags are made from the same type of plastic as many other stretchy films, it’s easy for a store to place a bin out front and collect it all together in one bin. Trex pays for this plastic film, but most of what they recycle is actually pallet wrap. The process is simple: stores gather the plastic and send it back to their distribution center. Once there’s enough to fill a trailer, it’s shipped to Trex and turned into composite decking products.

Trex partners with grocery store chains nationwide and is the largest plastic film recycler. In Virginia, Trex works with nearly all the major grocery store chains except for Target and Walmart, who supposedly hire third party logistics companies that take the plastics to a variety of places. This makes it impossible to understand exactly how Target and Walmart’s systems are supposed to work.

Methodology

In February and March of 2025, I monitored plastic bag drop-off recycling bins at 22 different grocery stores repeatedly over a six week time period in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. These selected stores were from seven major chains: Food Lion, Giant, Harris Teeter, Safeway, Target, Walmart, and Wegmans.

Luggage trackers were placed in 22 plastic grocery bags, one at each location, and closely watched to see their location data throughout the time period. Each chain had three separate store locations monitored except for Wegmans, which has four stores represented in the data. Bins were also checked to see levels of contamination (i.e. trash or recyclable items other than plastic bags that would ultimately not be recycled). This includes many “wishful recycling” items—such as water bottles, aluminum cans, and other plastics that were not accepted by Trex—and trash, like food wrappers, coffee cups, cart wipes, and more. Some grocery stores had multiple drop-off bins while others had one.

A couple important assumptions were made when interpreting the data: A tracker that stopped transmitting location data while still in the store or at a distribution center was likely destroyed in the baling process for recyclables—indicating the bag was eventually recycled. Baling is the process of compressing loose materials into tightly packed, stackable blocks called bales, making garbage and recyclables easier to store and transport. Grocery stores generally do not use the same compactors for trash and recycling, instead utilizing separate equipment for each, such as compactors for general waste and balers or separate compactors for recyclable materials. When compressing trash, the compactors used do not compact as densely or provide enough pressure to destroy the trackers, so they often remain in tact and still emit their location data. However, the same cannot be said when baling recyclables, where the compression often destroys GPS trackers. So, when a tracker went dark, it was interpreted as evidence the bag was baled and sent to a recycling facility, such as Trex or another plastic film recycler, even if there was no final location data to confirm it.

Additionally, because chain stores follow corporate rules and policies, it’s likely that what is reflective in the data is true for other stores within the same chain throughout Northern Virginia. Ultimately, some chains are great recyclers, while others are awful at it.

Contamination Matters

Some chains have zero contamination (making it easy to recycle) while others have up to 100% contamination and would need to go straight to a landfill. This was reflective in the results: plastic bags in a highly contaminated bin got trashed and were never recycled while bins with low contamination always got recycled. Harris Teeter was an exception, sending highly contaminated bales to Trex.

At the end of the day when the bins are emptied, if a store employee believes the bin is contaminated, they throw it out instead of recycling it, and this happens very frequently at some chains. On the one hand, this is a good thing as highly contaminated bins should not be recycled. However, if they are getting thrown out day after day, the system is very broken and needs fixing. 

The Results: Which Grocery Stores Actually Recycle Your Bags?

Where Each Bag Ended Up: Tracker Results by Store

Tracker	Store	Location	Final Tracker Destination	Outcome
4	Giant	2551 John Milton Dr, Herndon, VA 20171	Giant Food's Distribution Warehouse (Jessup, MD) - Tracker went dark from baling process ➤ Likely went to Trex	Likely Recycled (Trex)
5	Giant	1450 North Point Village Ctr, Reston, VA 20194	Giant Food's Distribution Warehouse (Jessup, MD) - Tracker went dark from baling process ➤ Likely went to Trex	Likely Recycled (Trex)
20	Giant	13043 Lee Jackson Mem Hwy, Fairfax, VA 22033	Trex (Winchester, VA)	Recycled (Trex)
12	Safeway	2304 Hunter's Woods Plaza, Reston, VA 20191	Trex (Winchester, VA)	Recycled (Trex)
22	Safeway	12200 Fairfax Towne Center, Fairfax, VA 22033	Trex (Winchester, VA)	Recycled (Trex)
13	*Safeway	11120 South Lakes Dr, Reston, VA 20191	Laconiko Olive Oil Wholesaler (Manassas, VA) ➤ I-66 Transfer Station ➤ Reworld™ (Formerly Covanta Incinerator, Lorton, VA)	Landfilled / Incinerated
7	Food Lion	3059 Centreville Rd, Herndon, VA 20171	Trex (Winchester, VA)	Recycled (Trex)
8	Food Lion	46081 Briarcroft Plaza, Sterling, VA 20164	Loudoun County Landfill	Landfilled / Incinerated
19	Food Lion	20789 Great Falls Plaza, Sterling, VA 20165	Trex (Winchester, VA)	Recycled (Trex)
15	Harris Teeter	3905 Fair Ridge Dr, Fairfax, VA 22033	Reworld™ (Formerly Covanta Incinerator, Lorton, VA)	Landfilled / Incinerated
16	Harris Teeter	11806 Spectrum Center, Reston, VA 20190	Trex (Winchester, VA)	Recycled (Trex)
21	Harris Teeter	25401 Eastern Marketplace Plz Chantilly, VA 20152	Trex (Winchester, VA)	Recycled (Trex)
1	Wegmans	11620 Monument Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030	Republic Services Old Dominion Landfill	Landfilled / Incinerated
2	Wegmans	14361 Newbrook Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151	Reworld™ (Formerly Covanta Incinerator, Lorton, VA)	Landfilled / Incinerated
3	Wegmans	11950 Hopper St, Reston, VA 20191	Trex (Winchester, VA)	Recycled (Trex)
11	Wegmans	45131 Columbia Pl, Sterling, VA 20166	GFL Transfer Station (Mechanicsville, VA) – *Temporary disposal area for waste to accumulate before being transported to a larger landfill facility.	Landfilled / Incinerated
9	Walmart	4368 Chantilly Shopping Center Dr, Chantilly, VA 20151	Reworld™ (Formerly Covanta Incinerator, Lorton, VA)	Landfilled / Incinerated
17	Walmart	24635 Dulles Landing Dr, Dulles, VA 20166	Loudoun County Landfill	Landfilled / Incinerated
14	Walmart	13059 Fair Lakes Parkway, Fairfax, VA 22033	Reworld™ (Formerly Covanta Incinerator, Lorton, VA)	Landfilled / Incinerated
6	***Target	12197 Sunset Hills Rd, Reston, VA 20190	In Store	Uncertain
10	***Target	45130 Columbia Pl, Sterling, VA 20166	In Store	Uncertain
18	***Target	46201 Potomac Run Plz, Sterling, VA 20164	In Store	Uncertain

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Graph Notes

• *Safeway had one unusual case where a shopper likely removed the bag with the tracker from the bin after drop-off.
• **Wegmans had four stores monitored, while other chains had three.
• ***Target shipping routes could not be tracked as they bale their plastic in-store before pickup by a third-party recycler. In all three cases, the trackers were crushed during this process and went dark. While contamination was low and internal practices suggest the bags were likely recycled, this can not be confirmed.

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1. Giant – Clear Winner

2. Target – High Marks, but Unverified

3. Safeway, Food Lion, & Harris Teeter – Tied for Third 

Each chain had 2 out of 3 bags make it to Trex for recycling. Food Lion and Harris Teeter had one store location that ended up with their recyclables going to a landfill or incinerator. Safeway is an exception with an abnormal event.

Safeway

Harris Teeter

• Results: 2 out of 3 bags reached Trex; the third was incinerated at Reworld™ (formerly Covanta Incinerator).
• Bin Design: Large open-top bins placed next to cart wipe dispensers encouraged improper use. No trash cans nearby. Every wipe and other trash ended up inside.
• Location: Bins were placed just inside the vestibule, directly next to the store entrance and grouped with other bins. This high-traffic placement increased casual misuse.
• Employee Insight & Case Study: At one Harris Teeter, I spoke with two customer service employees about the heavy contamination in their plastic bag recycling bin. They weren’t surprised and confirmed that the issue began when corporate moved the bin indoors next to the main entrance and removed the nearby trash can. Previously, the bin had been placed outside with a trash can beside it, resulting in very low contamination. Since the change, used wipes and other trash had been ending up in the recycling bin. When I asked if they could put the trash can back, they said, “We can’t do that. Corporate won’t allow it.” The staff knew exactly what was causing the problem and how to fix it, but despite dealing with the issue daily, they unfortunately had no authority to make any necessary changes.
• Contamination: 600% higher than at Safeway and Food Lion. Employees confirmed this was a direct result of corporate policy changes. Even with lots of trash contaminating the bins, they are still sent to Trex.
• Verdict: Harris Teeter has the infrastructure to succeed, but poor corporate decisions are undermining store-level efforts. A simple change—moving bins and restoring trash cans—could drastically reduce contamination and improve outcomes. 

4. Wegmans – Disappointing Despite Effort

• Results: Only 1 out of 4 tracked bags made it to Trex. Three went to the landfill or incinerator.
• Bin Design: No lid, just an open slot on the side. The text font is extremely small and placed low under the open slot, making it very easy to miss. Unfortunately, the bag recycling bins are nearly indistinguishable from trash and single-stream bins right beside it.
• Location: The bins are grouped together in high-traffic areas, often alongside general trash and recycling bins. This setup increases the chance of confusion and contamination.
• Employee Insight & Case Study: Two years ago at the Reston Wegmans, I noticed their bag recycling bin was consistently 90% full of trash. I was furious that management would allow this to happen and wrote a six-page complaint with photos of the contamination. The very next time I went shopping, I noticed that the managers had actually separated the plastic bag recycling bin from the typical line of trash and single stream recycling, moving it six feet beyond the escalator. If you had an armful of bags to recycle, you had to walk past the trash bin, the single stream recycling bin, and the escalator to drop off your bags. This extra effort discouraged any random trash or wishful recycling, and for the past two years, the bags in this specific bin have been completely contamination-free. In fact, the tracked plastic bag I dropped off in this bin was the only one out of four Wegmans trackers that successfully made it to Trex and was recycled. 
• Contamination: Extremely High. Signs intended to guide proper recycling were poorly placed and ineffective: small print that was too low and too subtle to catch the attention of a hurried shopper.
• Verdict: Wegmans puts visible effort into its recycling program, but poor bin design and placement undermine its success. With clearer signage and smarter placement, like at the Reston location, Wegmans could significantly reduce contamination and dramatically improve its impact.

5. Walmart – Dead Last

• Results: All 3 bags ended up in a landfill or incinerator. Nothing was recycled.
• Bin Design: Large, nice-looking green bin with two large open holes on the top. Has large text saying “Recycle bags & flexible plastics” and “No hard plastics with labeled images of acceptable items.
• Location: Usually near store entrances just inside the doorway with no trash bins in sight, similarly to Safeway, Harris Teeter, and Wegmans.
• Observations: The store cart retrieving staff used the bag recycling bins as trash cans—every piece of trash picked up went into the bin with no visible effort to separate or protect recyclable materials. However, we may give Walmart the benefit of the doubt when it comes to recycling their pallet wrap and hard plastic the same way Target does with a third party logistics company, although this remains unconfirmed.
• Contamination: Extremely High. Every bin observed was filled with general trash, including items collected from the parking lot. None appeared to be used for recycling.
• Verdict: There is no visible attempt to support plastic bag recycling at the store level. Bins are misused, contaminated, and unmanaged. Without major changes in training, oversight, and transparency, Walmart’s recycling program remains broken from the ground up. 

What You Can Do: The Golden Rules

If you’re an environmentally conscious shopper, your influence doesn’t end once you drop off your plastic bags in the bin. You can play a role in making store recycling systems actually work. Recall the Wegmans Case Study above: when I saw a consistently misused bin at the Reston location, I took action, and it led to a permanent change that dramatically reduced contamination and ended up being the only store in its chain to get recycled. 

Successful plastic bag recycling comes down to a few key practices that shoppers can encourage their local stores to follow. Three patterns stood out across the best-performing locations:

1. Location matters most. My “Golden Rules”: Place bins away from store entrances and outside the main footpath. Keep them clearly separated from trash and single-stream recycling bins. When shoppers are encouraged to take a few extra steps to reach the bin—ideally passing by a trash can along the way—you’ll dramatically reduce contamination.
2. Effective bin design discourages contamination. Bins that required two hands to use (e.g. lifting a lid or pushing a bag into a narrow slot) prevented casual trash dumping and “wishful recycling.”
3. Signage is nearly useless. Of all the variables, signage had the least impact. Most shoppers ignore signs, especially when they’re placed low or printed in small font. Even stores with clearer signage (e.g. Walmart, Harris Teeter) still had high contamination due to poor bin placement and a lack of nearby trash cans.

Recycling Plastic Bags Is Worth It, But Grocery Stores Need to Step Up

In the end, I am still highly supportive of recycling plastic bags at the grocery store. After all, these bags—and other flexible plastic packaging like Amazon blue mailers, bubble wrap, and shrink wrap—are refused by every other recycling system. They don’t belong in curbside bins, and most municipal drop-off centers won’t take them either. Grocery stores are one of the only accessible options for responsibly disposing of these materials.

However, participation in recycling programs varies widely. Many major grocery chains don’t accept plastic bags at all, including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Aldi. That’s why it’s critical that the stores that do accept them take that responsibility seriously and that consumers pay attention to where they drop off their bags.

Recycling plastic bags is worthwhile, but to make it work, we need grocery stores to step up—and we need shoppers to choose wisely while speaking up about why these choices matter.

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