How to recycle a bag-in-box: The complete guide
An empty bag-in-box consists of three parts to be sorted separately: the outer cardboard box (yellow bin), the inner plastic pouch (yellow bin or recycling center, depending on your municipality), and the plastic tap. In less than two minutes, your BIB is properly recycled.
What materials is a bag-in-box made of?
Before sorting, you need to understand what a BIB is made of. The bag-in-box consists of three distinct elements, each with a different destination:
- The outer cardboard box: the cardboard box that wraps everything. 100% recyclable cardboard.
- The inner plastic pouch: a multi-layer pouch made of LDPE (low-density polyethylene), airtight, which contains the wine. This is what allows for the exceptional preservation of the BIB.
- The tap: a plastic tap (PP — polypropylene), screwed or clipped onto the pouch.
Good news: none of these three elements go in the regular trash. They are all recyclable or recoverable, provided they are separated.
Recycling the cardboard: it's the simplest part
The bag-in-box cardboard goes directly into the yellow bin or the paper/cardboard bin, depending on your municipality's collection system. Flatten it to save space.
Before putting it in the bin, ensure it is empty of any plastic pouch. If you have forgotten to remove the pouch, the cardboard will be refused at the sorting center.
Some towns also offer specific collection points for food-grade cardboard — check with your town hall or on the QueBecycler website (or its local equivalent).
The plastic pouch: yellow bin in most municipalities
This is the point that creates the most confusion. Is the LDPE plastic pouch recyclable?
Since the national rollout of extended sorting instructions in 2022-2023, the answer is yes in almost all French municipalities: the plastic pouch goes in the yellow bin.
If you have any doubt about your municipality, the Citéo website (citeo.com) allows you to check the sorting instructions by postal code. As a general rule: all soft plastic has gone into the yellow bin since 2023.
To properly empty the pouch:
- Open the tap and let the last drops drain out.
- Detach the pouch from the tap (a slight twist is enough).
- Do not rinse — it is useless and a waste of water.
- Place in the yellow bin.
The tap: yellow bin as well
The polypropylene (PP) tap also goes in the yellow bin. No need to disassemble it completely: simply remove it from the pouch and place it in the yellow bin.
If your municipality does not yet collect small plastics, the tap can be dropped off at a recycling center in the hard plastics bin.
BIB vs bottle: which generates more waste?
The question is worth asking. Here is the comparison by equivalent volume:
| Container | Volume | Weight of waste | Main material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glass bottle (75 cl) | 0.75 L | ~500 g | Glass (recyclable but energy-intensive) |
| BIB 3 L | 3 L | ~180 g | Cardboard + LDPE plastic |
| BIB 5 L | 5 L | ~250 g | Cardboard + LDPE plastic |
For 3 liters of wine consumed, a 75 cl bottle generates 4 bottles to recycle, or about 2 kg of glass. A 3 L BIB generates 180 g of mixed waste. The difference is significant — and it's not just the weight: melting and reforming glass consumes much more energy than recycling cardboard.
We detailed the entire comparative carbon footprint in our dedicated article: BIB vs bottle: the true carbon footprint.
Can you reuse a BIB pouch?
Technically yes, but it is not recommended for wine. The pouch is designed for single food use: once emptied and opened to the air, wine residues ferment quickly and contaminate any subsequent use.
However, initiatives exist to reuse BIB pouches for other non-food liquids (household cleaners, bulk detergents). Inquire at your local bulk grocery store — some accept clean pouches to fill with laundry detergent or dish soap.
BIB and bulk: two complementary logics
Some organic stores and bulk groceries offer wine in bulk, to be brought in your own containers. It is an excellent option for highly committed consumers, but with constraints: you must live near a point of sale, have your own containers, and the selection of natural wines in bulk remains limited.
The BIB occupies an intermediate space: less waste than the bottle, more accessible than bulk, delivered everywhere in France, with a selection of quality organic and natural wines. For most committed consumers, it is the best convenience-impact compromise.
If you want to go further in the zero-waste approach regarding wine, our article zero waste and wine details all the steps to reduce your footprint on a daily basis.
Frequently asked questions about recycling bag-in-box
Do you need to rinse the BIB pouch before recycling it?
No. Rinsing a plastic pouch wastes water for almost zero benefit in recycling. Sorting centers are equipped to handle food residues. Simply empty the last drops and place the pouch in the yellow bin.
Is the BIB plastic pouch really recycled?
In France, since the rollout of the extended sorting instructions, soft plastic (including the LDPE of BIB pouches) is collected in the yellow bin in the vast majority of municipalities. It is then sorted and recovered — mainly into plastic granules reused in the industry. The actual recycling rate remains below 100% depending on local sectors, but sorting maximizes the chances.
Can the BIB be recycled in a country other than France?
Instructions vary by country and municipality. In Belgium, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, similar systems exist. Always check with your local authority.
Is the glass of a bottle recycled more than the plastic of a BIB?
Glass has a high recycling rate (~80% in France) but its recycling is energy-intensive: it must be heated to over 1,500°C to melt the glass. LDPE plastic is recycled at lower energy, but its actual collection rate is still increasing. The overall carbon footprint of the BIB remains lower than that of the glass bottle, even when recycled.