Tyvek Envelopes and the Environment
I use those “can’t be torn” Tyvek envelopes a lot for shipping and was wondering one day, “are these actually recyclable?” I did some homework and thought I’d share the results.
Tyvek products are actually made by DuPont and are high density polyethylene which is 100% recyclable. To you and me, that’s the same plastic as those plastic containers with a number 2 on it. So, it’s recyclable when my local municipality picks up my curbside recycling right? Not quite. These envelopes are a special case.
These Tyvek envelopes are only recyclable at the manufacturer, i.e. they can only be recycled if you send them back to Dupont. Don’t despair though, Dupont has instructions on their website telling you that you can turn one envelope inside out and stuff it with your scrap tyvek. Then address the envelope and send it back to them. If you have a lot more of these, contact Dupont and they will discuss programs with you.
Too much work for the average person? Possibly.
We all have different levels of what we are willing to do for the environment. Rest assured though, if your Tyvek envelope ends up in landfill, it is chemically inert and contains no binders. It will not leach into groundwater. Dupont also reports that it is safe to incinerate their product. This may be a possibility for municipal services, however, I don’t recommend this course of action for you and your neighbours. Feel free to google the Dupont site for more information (no I don’t work for Dupont). I just want to ensure that as many people as possible are recycling what they can. Whether you believe in global warming or not, we can certainly use a little less garbage in the landfill.
