first take it off your head.
jk

You should gather up all of those plastic bags and take it to your nearest Safeway, or other supermarkets where they have a bin for you to dispose of your unwanted plastic bags. Do not by any means throw it in a garbage can! Just simply take those plastic bags and drop it off at the nearest location… Many supermarkets nowadays have a bin of some sort at the front of the store.

Plastic bags are generally made from either high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which is marked #2, or low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is marked #4. HDPE is less elastic and makes more sound when crumpled, while LDPE is more elastic and makes very little sound when crumpled.

However, not all plastic is intended to be recycled, which is a possible reason why plastic wouldn’t be marked with a recycling symbol. For example, some plastic has a biodegradability enhancer added to it. If even a small amount of such plastic is added to recyclable plastic during the recycling process, it can make the entire batch of recycled plastic unusable, so attempting to recycle every last bit of plastic could end up sending huge amounts of plastic scrap to landfills.

Addendum in light of subsequent answer: L-LDPE also falls in category #4 and should be included with LDPE (unless your recycling center deviates from the numerical categorizations and applies other sorting requirements).

In my area, there is a “recycling centre” which accepts separated waste. One of their bins is labelled “supermarket carrier bags only”. I generally put all sorts of carrier bags in there, and sometimes other plastic film (but not black bin liners, or garden film). Sounds as though I might be making a mistake! They don’t ask for bags with specific recycling marks, so maybe it is OK. Incidentally, isn’t another common material also used: LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene)? Is this also recyclable?

You can donate those plastic grocery bags (clean and dry) to a local thrift store. They use them. You can recycle used (but clean) garbage bags to the same places.

Mostly, if it’s a plastic bag now a days, it’s recyclable. From grocery bags, to the cereal liners, to packaging. If your town doesn’t recycle, most grocery stores and every Wal-Mart have a bin to return bags.

I ask for them on craigslist every once and a while. I use them to pick up my dog’s, um, deposits. Some people use them for crafts and other things, too.

Hope that helps!

I do not separate plastic bags I just return them to a recycling bin.

Also, you can donate them to a daycare center or preschool that uses them to wrap up stinky diapers. It’s not recycling, but it’s re-using at least.