Hefty “Recycling” Bags are put out by Reynolds Consumer Products, Inc. and Reynolds Consumer Products, LLC. Information given on the product packaging and on the website present the bags as suitable for holding items for recycling and help “[r]educe your environmental impact[.]” But the complaint alleges that the bags are not recyclable and that when they are presented at California facilities, they, and all the items contained in them, are treated as regular solid waste and not recycled.
The National Class is all persons in the US who bought the products during the fullest period allowed by law. In the alternative, the complaint proposes a California Subclass, of all persons in the above class in California.
Pages 3 through 6 of the complaint show images related to the Hefty bags, which come in 13-gallon and 30-gallon sizes.
On the box containing the bags, the word “Recycling” is in a larger font than any other word except “Hefty.” It is in white on a green ground, placed near the center of the front label, along with an image of a bag filled with recyclable waste.
Another image shows the back of the box, with the words, “Hefty recycling bags are perfect for your recycling needs” along with other claims, such as, “Designed to handle all types of recyclables,” an image of a blue truck with the “chasing arrows” recycling symbol on it, and “Transparent for quick sorting and curbside identification.”
The complaint quotes the website as saying, “Reduce your environmental impact with Hefty recycling bags designed to handle your heaviest recycling jobs” and “these transparent bags make it easy to sort your recyclables and avoid the landfill.” Photographs show the bags filled with recyclables, such as bottles and cans.
Unfortunately, the complaint alleges that the bags are no different from other bags that consumers receive at grocery stores and other places and that they are not recyclable at California facilities for solid waste.
According to the complaint, these bags actually prevent recycling of the items inside them: “When Hefty ‘Recycling’ trash bags are delivered by waste haulers to a California solid waste disposal facility the bags and all of the otherwise recyclable items contained within them are not delivered to a recycling facility but are treated as regular solid waste materials.”
The items inside, the complaint says, are thus not recycled but “ultimately end up in landfills or incinerators and are not recycled.”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) puts out “Green Guides” about the use of environmental marketing claims. The complaint quotes the Green Guides as saying, “A product or package shall not be marketed as recyclable unless it can be collected, separated, or otherwise recovered from the waste stream through an established recycling program for reuse or use in manufacturing or assembling another item.”
Article Type: LawsuitTopic: Consumer
Most Recent Case Event
Contents of Hefty “Recycling” Bags Not Recycled Complaint
October 28, 2022
Hefty “Recycling” Bags are put out by Reynolds Consumer Products, Inc. and Reynolds Consumer Products, LLC. Information given on the product packaging and on the website present the bags as suitable for holding items for recycling and help “[r]educe your environmental impact[.]” But the complaint alleges that the bags are not recyclable and that when they are presented at California facilities, they, and all the items contained in them, are treated as regular solid waste and not recycled.
Contents of Hefty “Recycling” Bags Not Recycled ComplaintCase Event History
Contents of Hefty “Recycling” Bags Not Recycled Complaint
October 28, 2022
Hefty “Recycling” Bags are put out by Reynolds Consumer Products, Inc. and Reynolds Consumer Products, LLC. Information given on the product packaging and on the website present the bags as suitable for holding items for recycling and help “[r]educe your environmental impact[.]” But the complaint alleges that the bags are not recyclable and that when they are presented at California facilities, they, and all the items contained in them, are treated as regular solid waste and not recycled.
Contents of Hefty “Recycling” Bags Not Recycled Complaint