plastic bags , and be recycled , together ?or are these items a separate type of process
They are separate kinds of process.
It all depends on which recycling plant you take it to, for the one in Sherman TX all plastic is turned into the same bin and through a water-roller is sorted by density. Yes they are different processes, but in some plants they take them both.
Around here, the supermarkets take bags made from #2 plastic (only) for recycling. These bags can be stuffed into one bag, and it's amazing how many you can fit into one bag if you kneel on it while tying the handles. It sure seems a lot easier than trying to stuff them into bottles.
No, there are different processes, and the problem is that the plastic bags are made of a different type of polymer than the bottles(to make them softer and malleable). These plastics must be separated and recycled with other plastics of their own type. There are 7 types of commercial plastics. To see which one it is, simply look for a number surrounded by chasing arrows(shown on yahoos earth day logo). Plastic bags are mainly Polyethylene teraphthatlate, or PET or type 1.
