How To Recycle Baby Food Pouches

As a grandmother of four—two toddlers and two babies—I have witnessed quite a few baby pouches going into the trash. I am guilty of throwing them away, too, but I’d rather not.

The City of Alexandria currently does not accept these pouches for their residential recycling program, according to Gary Hensley, Recycling Program Analyst for Alexandria.

Fortunately for us, we have a Mom’s Organic Market nearby, which recycles baby pouches, among numerous other items. They have five locations in Virginia, including one at 3831 Mount Vernon Avenue, in Alexandria. They also have stores in Maryland, Washington, DC, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Check out what can be recycled on their online recycling resource center.

Gary Hensley also shared information on TerraCycle, an interesting program that accepts many items for recycling, including baby pouches, through the mail. After joining, you can print free shipping labels, but the box of recyclables has to weigh five pounds. This may be better suited to groups such as cooperatives, schools, community centers, etc.

Hensley also said, “The material stream is always evolving and if technology at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) and marketability of the recovered material allow for food pouches to be recycled in a residential program, we may be able to add it to the acceptable list at some point in the future.”

Photo by Amy Fries