Are Sous Vide Bags Recyclable?

Are you trying to reduce the waste you leave behind? If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you know it’s not easy. Food comes in so much unnecessary packaging these days, it makes your job more difficult.

And you’re not the only one – many people look for ways to eliminate as much waste as possible and prefer reusable and recyclable items. If you’re a sous vide cooking fan, you might be wondering – are sous vide bags recyclable?

Well, great news. We have the answer to this question. Keep reading to find out!

Can All Sous Vide Bags Be Recycled?

There are a few different types of bags you can use for sous vide cooking. Can you recycle all of them?

I’m happy to say that you can. The most popular sous vide bag producers care about our environment, so you can easily find a place to recycle your used cooking bags.

Vacuum Sealer Bags

One of the commonly used bags for sous vide cooking is vacuum-sealed bags. They have plenty of benefits because they’re not only used for this cooking method, but they can also be used for food storage. And the best thing is that you can recycle them.

Are sous vide bags recyclable in every city? Recycling guidelines may differ depending on the area where you live. If you want to recycle these bags, check the protocol in your municipality. Most vacuum sealed bags are recycled with plastic waste, but you can find detailed instructions on Google.

Ziploc Freezer Bags

Ziploc is an eco-friendly brand. According to the information from their official website, you can easily recycle these bags by taking them with you the next time you go grocery shopping. Like you do with regular plastic shopping bags, drop them in a recycling bin in your local store.

If you’re unsure if you can recycle these bags at your local store, you can check by clicking on this link and using the drop-off location finder.

Glad Freezer Bags

Here’s another brand that you can buy if you prefer recyclable items for your home. Glad freezer bags are recyclable, but so are other Glad products, such as plastic food containers and storage bags.

Note that plastic items have an identification number to indicate what type of plastic they’re made of. Plastic bags are typically number two (HDPE) or four (LDPE), so they’re accepted anywhere you can recycle standard shopping bags as well.

What About Biodegradable Sous Vide Bags?

Sous vide fans will love the fact that they can also get biodegradable products other than recyclable sous vide bags. Note that the bags mentioned above are not biodegradable since they’re made of plastic and nylon.

However, you can use an eco-pouch, which is convenient for low-temperature sous vide cooking. They are plastic-free and compostable but can’t stand long cooking periods. You could use them for cooking thinner or smaller pieces of meat and vegetables.

You might want to consider silicone bags, as well. You can use them over and over again, and they support really high temperatures. Plus, they’re easily cleaned in the dishwasher.

In Summary

There are plenty of ways to be eco-aware while enjoying high-end cooking in your own kitchen.

Are sous vide bags recyclable? Yes! Are they biodegradable? Although they’re rare, you can find this type of bag on the market as well. What’s more, you can also choose reusable silicone bags and eliminate the waste altogether.

So there you have it. Sous vide can be an environmentally friendly way to cook. If you’d like to learn more about how else you can save the environment while cooking sous vide, check out my article here on reusing sous vide bags.