The metal-free twist tie also received a How2Recycle label, allowing bakeries to communicate its recyclability with customers. How2Recycle member organizations may be eligible to use this label pending approval from How2Recycle.

“The result of favorable recycling testing on our PolyTwist material is significant, as bakeries now have access to the materials necessary to claim recyclability of their entire bread bag packaging,” said Bedford President Jay Milbrandt. “Shoppers are more interested than ever in the materials used to package consumer goods. They desire the ability to reuse and recycle – down to even the smallest components, like a twist tie. Now it’s possible.”

Recycle-Ready PolyTwist is compatible with existing bakery automation, as successfully demonstrated during in-field tests at a major bakery. 

The American manufacturer first introduced the metal-free PolyTwist material to bakeries more than two decades ago. A series of recent independent tests determined that PolyTwist meets or exceeds the Association of Plastic Recyclers PE Critical Guidance criteria FPE-CG-01 Critical Guidance Protocol for PE Film and Flexible Packaging. 

The acceptance of the Recycle-Ready PolyTwist gives Americans another outlet to properly dispose of twist ties. In 2019, Bedford introduced the TagBack program, allowing consumers the unique opportunity to return ties and tags to be upcycled by Bedford’s in-house processes. To date, the TagBack program has received and upcycled more than 195,000 pounds of returned ties and tags into new materials.