Last updated on March 7th, 2024 at 05:18 am
Reduce, reuse, and recycle is the motto that we all need to follow to make our planet a better place. And with the increasing popularity of e-commerce giants like Amazon, recycling their packaging has become more important than ever. Amazon says its packaging is eco-friendly, but still, it’s our responsibility to recycle it properly. And, as more and more people increasingly buy from online stores like Amazon, the packing problem is becoming bigger. Simply tossing the items into a recycle bin isn’t the end of the problem, although it may seem like that to us consumers.
In this post, we will guide you through some tips on how to recycle Amazon packaging and help reduce the waste from our compulsive shopping from Amazon. Of course, we should try to shop from sone wonderful ethical alternatives to Amazon, but we’d still be left with packaging waste. So, recycle!
[Our post on How to recycle bubble wrap may also help! Also, can you recycle pizza boxes? All your questions are answered in this recycling guide!]
So, recycling Amazon packaging is pretty simple. Amazon even gives you some guidelines on how to do it. If you’re in the US and your order is fulfilled by Amazon, all you have to do is go to your Amazon app and click on your order. Then, scroll all the way down to find instructions on how to recycle or throw away the packaging.
However, it’s important to note that Amazon is still putting the responsibility on us, the customers, to deal with their huge amount of packaging. Sadly, recycling is not as effective as it used to be because many plastics can’t be recycled anymore, and even if they are collected, they might not actually be recycled. That’s why it’s time for Amazon to make a change by getting rid of single-use packaging altogether and moving towards systems where we can reuse and refill items.
It’s up to big companies like Amazon to take the lead in eliminating wasteful packaging and making the switch to more sustainable systems. Meanwhile, we still have to deal with packaging waste, so use this handy table to figure out what kind of packaging you have, and what you can do about it:
Amazon’s Packaging Recycling
 | Paper padded envelope mailer Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle? Curbside recycling programs |
 | Paper Envelope Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle? Curbside recycling programs |
 | Brown packing paper & paper bags Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle? Curbside recycling programs |
 | Invoices, receipts, and packing slips Recyclable? Yes (but self-adhesive labels are not recyclable) Where to recycle? Curbside recycling programs. Make sure to shred them first. |
 | Cardboard box and cardboard folder Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle? Curbside recycling programs. |
Give Back Box partnership
You can also use your Amazon cardboard boxes to donate items, through Amazon. Fill your box with items you wish to donate, print out a label, and ship through UPS or USPS, all at no cost to you. Amazon will pass on these items to their partner charities through Give Back Box. And you can write off the donation on your taxes.
 | Bubble-lined plastic bag Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle? Some curbside recycling programs (check with them first). OR How2Recycle accepts plastic bags OR Find a drop-off location here. |
 | Air pillow Recyclable? Yes. Pop the air out of the pillow before drop-off. Where to recycle? Some curbside recycling programs (check with them first). OR How2Recycle accepts air pillows OR Find a drop-off location here. |
 | Bubble-lined paper mailer Recyclable? No. (Try How2Recycle before trashing) Where to dispose? Trash can |
 | Amazon’s gift bags Recyclable? No. (Try How2Recycle before trashing) Where to dispose? Trash can |
 | Reusable gift bags made from 100% recycled material Recyclable? No. (Try How2Recycle before trashing) Where to dispose? Trash can |
 | Amazon’s Prime Now gel pack Recyclable? No. (Try How2Recycle before trashing) Where to dispose? Trash can |
 | Prime Now insulated pouch Recyclable? Yes. Where to recycle? Find a drop-off location here. |
Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market Packaging
 | Amazon Fresh Paper Bag Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle? Curbside recycling programs |
 | Amazon Fresh Cardboard Box Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle? Curbside recycling programs. Remove any tape before recycling. |
 | Amazon Fresh water bottle Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle plastic bottles? Curbside recycling programs. |
 | Foil bubble insulation bag Recyclable? No. (Try How2Recycle before trashing) Where to dispose? Trash can |
 | Bottom board and paper insulation Recyclable? Yes Where to recycle? Curbside recycling programs. |
 | Amazon Fresh dry ice pouch & plastic film Recyclable? No. (Try How2Recycle before trashing) + Watch this video on handling dry ice Where to dispose? Trash can |
 | Produce bag Recyclable? Yes. Where to recycle? This is tricky, because produce bags have a plastic film. Check with your local curbside pick-up recycler if they accept plastic film. OR Find a drop-off location here. |
Where To Recycle Amazon Bubble Envelopes
Here are some general tips on how to handle bubble envelopes, bubble wrap and air pillows that comes in Amazon packaging:
1 / Reuse Bubble Envelopes
Before recycling, consider reusing bubble envelopes for shipping or storage purposes. If the envelope is in good condition, it can be reused multiple times. Reducing the number of envelopes you use will also reduce waste. But you eventually have to dispose of bubble envelopes, so try the following:
2 / Check with your local recycling center
The recycling policies vary from state to state, so it is essential to check the guidelines for your area. Most recycling centers accept bubble envelopes but may have specific instructions on how to prepare them for recycling.
3 / Check with UPS or other shippers
Amazon bubble envelopes are made of materials that are also used by other shipping companies such as UPS or FedEx. They may have programs or drop-off locations where you can recycle these envelopes.
4 / Consider mailing back to Amazon
Amazon has a program called ‘Frustration-Free Packaging,’ which encourages customers to send back packaging materials, including bubble envelopes, to be recycled. To participate in the program, log into your Amazon account, and print out a shipping label to send back the materials.
NOTE: Separate the materials
Bubble envelopes are made of two materials, plastic and paper. To recycle them correctly, it’s crucial to separate the paper from the plastic before placing them in the appropriate recycling bin.
Bubble-Lined Plastic Bag Recycling
Are bubble lined plastic bags recyclable? Yes – but not everywhere. When you’re done taking off all the labels and stickers, you can recycle those plastic padded envelopes, and send them to How2Recycle.
Just make sure they’re nice and clean and dry, and then you can drop them off at your recycler (or local grocery store that accepts recycling) along with your plastic bags. It’s a super important way to make sure those bubble lined plastic bags don’t go to waste!
Does Kohl’s Recycle Amazon Packaging?
Kohl’s has a partnership with How2Recycle® to help customers more easily determine how to recycle select materials. But this is for Kohl’s own packaging, not for Amazon’s. The next time you buy something from Kohl’s, use their recycling facilities, though!
Amazon Recycling Program
So, what’s Amazon been doing to help out? Well, they’ve got a program called Frustration-Free Packaging. Basically, it means that certain products are designed to be shipped in their own packaging, without the need for extra boxes or mailers from Amazon.
According to Amazon, this program offers more sustainable packaging that’s just the right size, reduces the risk of damage to the product during shipping, and is made from materials that are easy to recycle. In fact, all the materials used in Frustration-Free Packaging are 100% curbside recyclable, which is pretty awesome.
Amazon’s Moves Towards Sustainable Packaging
Since 2015, Amazon has been able to reduce the weight of the packaging they use to ship products by a whopping 36 percent, thanks in part to programs like Frustration-Free Packaging. Plus, they’ve eliminated over a million tons of packaging material – that’s like getting rid of over 2 billion shipping boxes!
Then, in 2019, Amazon introduced their fully recyclable paper padded mailer, which offers the same recyclability as their cardboard boxes.
In 2021, the company made some changes to their plastic products to try and be more sustainable. They redesigned a bunch of their plastic film bags to increase the amount of recycled material they used – from 25 percent to 50 percent for some of the bags, and from 15 percent to over 40 percent for their plastic padded bags. Thanks to these improvements, they’re expected to eliminate over 25,000 metric tons of new plastic each year going forward, which is good.
In March 2022, Amazon partnered up with the BOTTLE consortium to design new ways to upcycle plastic chemicals. (The consortium is a research initiative by the US Department of Energy to reduce plastic pollution).
Finally, Amazon offers on-site plastic film recycling at over 168 of their sites across North America and Europe.
Where is all this heading?
All this is well and good, but when are we going to reduce our consumption? When you look at the amount of products we consume, all of Amazon’s actions seem just like sophisticated greenwashing – because, at the end of the day, how much waste can the Earth handle? If you’re slightly observant (or cynical), you’d realize that Amazon’s moves are simply to get people to feel better about buying more from them. It’s not just Amazon. In our hyper capitalist economy, giant corporations are in a death spiral along with the billions of individual consumers, to sell and buy more and more items. Changing packaging to recyclable may not be very helpful when the number of packages are increasing exponentially.
Plus, we all know Amazon is obsessed with “efficiency” at the cost of worker well-being and the environment. For instance, Amazon wanted to pack more shipments into delivery planes and trucks, so they used more small plastic mailers rather than cardboard boxes. Now, how does that help in any way other than padding up Amazon’s bottomline?
This post was about recycling Amazon packaging
Online shopping is insanely convenient, yes, and it has become a big part of our lives. We must reduce our consumption (partake some environmental minimalism), and improve our shopping and recycling habits.
But, shopping itself is a massive waste producing activity, and ultimately, it shouldn’t just be the consumer’s responsibility to recycle. Companies as well as the government need to step up and make recycling easy and convenient. And also reduce the use of plastic waste in the first place.
If you liked this post, please share it with your friends. Thank you!<3
THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE DETAILS.
NOTE: All brand photographs belong to the respective brands/businesses.
Leave a Reply