Bubble Mailer Envelopes

Anyone who orders small items online has likely received a bubble mailer envelope. Whether they have a paper or a plastic exterior, these envelopes are lined with plastic bubble wrap inside, meaning they cannot go into your standard curbside recycling and can take hundreds of years to decompose. Because they are fairly sturdy, the best option is often to save and reuse them for your own shipments. When reuse is not an option, fully plastic mailers can be dropped off at local plastic film collection bins. On the other hand, mixed-material envelopes with paper exteriors are incredibly difficult to recycle because you must fully separate the paper from the plastic lining first. It is usually best to avoid these mixed mailers entirely whenever possible.