So, What Can We Actually Do About Snack Bag Recycling? (2)

 Snack bags—technically classified as “recyclable waste.” But are they really recyclable? If you’ve read my previous post, you already know the harsh reality: snack bags are one of the least recyclable packaging types. So what can we do about it? Let’s explore the most common ideas people suggest.

Rinse and Recycle—A Solution or a Waste of Time?

First, rinsing and recycling. Some believe that if you rinse out snack bags before throwing them away, they have a better chance of being recycled. That sounds logical at first, but let’s take a closer look. Rinsing wastes water, it takes time and effort, and most importantly, even if you clean them perfectly, they still won’t be recycled. Be honest—how many people in the world actually wash their snack bags before throwing them away? Probably fewer than ten in a million. Even if someone does, it doesn’t change the outcome. In the end, they still end up in landfills or incinerators. Washing snack bags is nothing more than a false hope. It makes us feel better, but it does nothing to change reality.

Eat Less, Waste Less—But Is That Realistic?

What about reducing consumption? Before we even discuss reducing consumption, let’s take a look at something first.

Look at them. A child, happily munching on his favorite snack. A young woman, enjoying her break with a pack of chips. A man, clearly smiling as he enjoys his snack. They’re simply enjoying the little joys of life—something we all do.

Now, imagine telling them: "Sorry, but your snack bag isn’t recyclable, so you should stop eating chips."

Sounds ridiculous, right? Who would seriously support a movement that takes away the simple pleasures of people’s lives just because of packaging waste? That’s why a “consume less” campaign will never work.

Logically, buying fewer snacks means fewer snack bags, which means less waste. But let’s be honest—how many people are going to stop eating snacks just to reduce waste? Imagine launching a campaign that says, “Let’s eat fewer chips to solve the packaging waste crisis!” Sounds absurd. Even health campaigns that promote reducing sugar struggle to change people’s habits, so expecting people to eat fewer snacks for environmental reasons? That’s unrealistic. This is not a real solution.

Upcycling—A New Life for Trash?

If recycling doesn’t work, and reducing consumption isn’t realistic, can we at least upcycle snack bags into something useful? Think about FREITAG, the brand that upcycles truck tarps into high-quality bags. But why did FREITAG succeed? Because truck tarps are already the perfect material for making bags—they are more durable than regular fabric, waterproof, and strong. They actually work better than traditional bag materials. Now, let’s compare that to snack bags. Can snack bags be upcycled into something more useful than existing materials? Most people would say no. Snack bags aren’t durable or practical. Unlike FREITAG’s truck tarps, they don’t have any advantages over traditional materials.

But here’s the interesting part: because no one has successfully upcycled snack bags yet, that means there’s still potential. Maybe someone, someday, will find a way to make it work. But right now? There is no effective upcycling solution for snack bags.

The Hard Truth—And a Bigger Question

So, let’s summarize what we’ve learned. Rinsing doesn’t help. Reducing consumption isn’t realistic. Upcycling is still an unsolved challenge. In other words, there is currently no way to stop snack bags from ending up in landfills or being incinerated. That’s the reality we are facing.

Are we completely powerless? Are snack bags doomed to remain waste forever? This is the question we need to answer. But right now, at this very moment, someone is throwing away an empty snack bag. And we have no way to stop it.

Now that we’ve accepted this reality, it’s time to ask a new question: If traditional recycling doesn’t work, then what does? Maybe the answer isn’t about recycling at all. Maybe we need a completely new way of thinking about this problem. I’ll be exploring this in my next post. Stay tuned.