Potato chip bags, made of seven bonded layers of plastic and metal, cannot be recycled by any U.S. system. Flexible packaging like these pouches is the fastest-growing waste material, with recycling rates below 2 percent. New state policies aim to shift costs to producers.
Potato chip bags consist of seven layers, including metalized polyester to block light, polyethylene for sealing, printed film for labeling, an oxygen barrier, additional sealants, structural layers, and a food-contact inner skin. These multi-layer composites preserve freshness and extend shelf life but resist mechanical recycling, as the materials cannot be separated. No U.S. materials recovery facilities (MRFs) can process them effectively due to their light weight, which causes tangling and equipment jams, and a lack of domestic markets since China's 2018 import ban on waste.
