Can Dog Food Bags Be Recycled?

As much of the world is moving towards sustainable packaging and less single-use plastics which end up in tips for potentially hundreds of years, it’s awfully disappointing that pet food manufacturers seem to be doing the exact opposite.

Dog food bags are not recyclable - well, most of them are not recyclable. This only exacerbates existing world problems such as toxic waste and the harm done to the environment.

These problems should be pushing more pet food manufacturers to make the switch to more sustainable packaging materials that are far less harmful to the environment. Before tossing your used dog food bag into the rubbish bin, consider what it’s made of. It may be recyclable!

What are Most Dog Food Bags Made of?

Most of the time, pet food manufacturers use a combination of materials to create robust, lightweight, packaging for their dog food which may be convenient, but it’s usually pretty bad for the environment. For example, Purina uses a combination of polypropylene, paperboard, polyester, and polyethylene.

Manufacturers are increasingly using superior lightweight plastic-based packaging since it drives down costs in logistics and material costs, polypropylene being amongst the most common used nowadays. Although the British Plastics Federation identifies polypropylene as a recyclable plastic, it doesn’t necessarily make it eco-friendly when other, more natural packaging solutions exist which are far less impactful on our already overfilled tips. 

Where Should I Dispose of My Dog Food Bags?

Every council has different regulations in place for how residents should be disposing of waste and recycling, typically with fortnightly kerbside collection in ‘wheelie’ bins or residual waste containers. Your first step should be to find out what your local council will accept for recycling and what should be tossed into the residual waste container.

For example, Leicestershire recycling agency Lesswaste provides residents with a handy guide to what’s recyclable and what belongs in the residual waste bin. Compostable and biodegradable plastics, for example, cannot be recycled as they will contaminate materials that could otherwise be recyclable. Bioplastics and plant-based materials, however, can be placed in the recycling bin.

Bug Bakes uses plastic-free plant-based packaging materials with vegetable starch lining, so it’s completely recyclable. This means that in most councils you should be able to simply toss it into the recycled materials bin just as you would paper.

Is Paper Packaging Always Better?

Just because your dog food comes in a paper-based bag doesn’t make it recyclable, although you may be fooled into believing that it is. A simple rule of thumb is that if it’s easy to tear apart by hand, it’s recyclable. If you have some difficulty tearing the bag apart, it probably isn’t recyclable and should go into the residual waste bin.

Bug Bakes uses packaging materials that are completely plastic-free, so no plastic lining is mixed in. Our 2.5 kg bags are engineered to provide maximum moisture content and to better preserve our cold-pressed goodness whilst retaining structural robustness so that it makes it from our doors to yours with our delivery service. Oh, and yes, it’s completely recyclable.

Why Eco-Friendly Dog Food Packaging is the Future

Actually, eco-friendly dog food packaging isn’t just the future - it’s already here and on store shelves across the UK and worldwide. It’s just that the big manufacturers in the competitive market of pet food tend to be slow to adapt to trends, particularly when serving a world market requires that plastics and other packaging materials that aren’t so good for the environment just make sense.

At Bug Bakes, we’ve nailed down the right blend of insect-based proteins that provide your dog with a fully nutritious diet which greatly benefits the environment as well as packaging that is completely compostable. As consumers increasingly demand sustainable packaging choices for their own food as well as for their dogs, the time to switch to eco-friendly products is now.

Give Bug Bakes a Go

Give your pupper a full and nutritious diet with Bug Bakes’ eco-friendly dog food. Click here to request a 10-day trial to see if it’s right for the little guy or little lass. You can also find out more about our subscription plans to see how they work. Our eco-friendly approach goes beyond the food, too, with paper-based, sustainable packaging that’s completely plastic-free.