Plastic Air Pillows Put in Garbage Recycle With Plastic Bags Plastic bags, wrap, and plastic film materials are not accepted in the curbside recycling because they can jam sorting equipment at the recycling facility. To ensure plastic air pillows get recycled, bring them to a participating plastic film drop-off location. Deflate First Plastic air pillows should be deflated before they are recycled with plastic bags. They must be clean and dry. Ways to Reuse Reuse for Packaging Keep plastic air pillows around the house to reuse. They can be used to pad boxes for shipping or storage. Take Them to a Mail Store Some mail stores will accept air pillows and other packing materials for reuse. It depends on policies and current supply, so call ahead to ask.