Is the bubble mailer recycle? [3 special methods]

Is the bubble mailer recycle? In today’s world, the use of padded envelopes and soft plastics like bubble wrap has led to environmental issues.

As a result, I became intrigued by the idea of recycling bubble wrap, as I frequently receive online shopping packaged in bubble wrap packaging fragile items.

I was pleasantly surprised by the incredible process of transforming used bubble wraps and other soft plastics, including old bubble mailers, into new products.

My team and I began researching this recycling process, and in this article, I will share what we learned.

What kinds of bubble mailers (bubble wrap) exist?

Plain white padded envelopes with bubble wrap to protect fragile items from damage and shock during transit.

Clear envelopes with bubble wrap that allow contents to be seen while protecting them.

Colored plastic bubble mailers with plastic film, can be used to send holiday cards or other letters decorated with various elements.

Large plastic mailers with bubble wrap, are intended for sending large items or documents that require additional protection.

All of these types of bubble wrap envelopes are convenient and reliable to use, ensuring the safety of the contents during shipment.

Online shopping plays an important role in my life and I want to do it in an environmentally friendly way.

It turns out that bubble wrap is recycled in the same way as, for example, plastic film and plastic bags from grocery stores.

Lastly, I will discuss methods for recycling bubble wrap for mailings.

Mechanical recycling method for bubble mailers

First, I looked at the recycling of bubble mail through mechanical processing.

I have learned that recycle bubble mailers and recycle bubble wrap involves collecting, sorting, and processing used bubble wrap and bubble mailers.

1. The bubble wrap, bubble mailers, and poly mailers we use are initially collected from various sources, such as recycling bin or recycling drop-off site. After the material is collected, a special people sort it by quality and type of plastic.
2. Collected bubble wrap, bubble mailers, and poly mailers are washed to remove contamination and then shredded into small pieces. Paper mailers are recycled separately from flexible plastics. Shredded paper is disposed of separately.
3. In the third stage of mechanical recycling, recycle bubble wrap and polyethylene mailers are melted and extruded, similar to the recycling of grocery store plastic bags (grocery bags). After the bubble wrap is crushed, it is melted and pressed into granules or small balls.
4. Afterward, the recycled bubble mailers and plastic films become new products. Now that we have recycled plastic pellets from melted bubble wrap and bubble mailers, we can use them to make other plastic products!
5. I have found that recycle bubble mailers undergo quality testing to ensure they meet the required standards.

Chemical recycling method for bubble mailers

My next area of research was the chemical recycling of mailing envelopes and other plastic films, which involves breaking down polyethylene into its constituent monomers.

1. Bubble-padded envelopes, bubble wraps, and poly mailers are first collected from various sources, such as a recycling bin or curbside recycling, and then sorted for recycling.
2. Plastic films and cushioned mailers must be cleaned before being recycled.
3. This process of recycle bubble mailers and poly mailers differs from the mechanical recycling of plastic film and soft mail in that in this case the already shredded material is subjected to a depolymerization process.
4. After chemical treatment of the material, cleaning occurs.
5. Here, purified monomers are used as raw materials in a polymerization process to create new plastic products; however, this process can result in negative carbon dioxide production.

Thermal recycling method for bubble mailers

There is another unique recycling process – thermal recycling of bubble-padded envelopes.

This process uses high temperatures to break down the mailing envelope material, such as polyethylene or plastic.

We see that such destruction of the material allows the material itself to be divided into parts, which are then reused.

As with previous processes, the first steps in recycling are collecting the material from the curbside, recycling the material, and purifying it.

Next, heat treatment breaks down our polyethylene or plastic into molecules.

Our team liked this process of making bubble wrap recyclable the most because it helps reduce the overall amount of waste that ends up in landfills.

FAQ

Conclusions

In the article, we learned how recycling occurs and what methods exist to recycle bubble mailers.

These 3 bubble recycling methods are also used to recycle any plastic film, grocery store grocery bags, plastic mail, and plastic bag recycling.

I hope you found this article helpful and hope you become more eco-friendly.