Arizona AG files lawsuit against company she claims misled customers over recycling bags

PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes is accusing the maker of Hefty trash bags of fraud, claiming bags that were labeled as being for recycling cannot actually be recycled.

Mayes announced the lawsuit in a media release on Wednesday. It was filed in Arizona Superior Court last week.

The lawsuit accuses Reynolds Consumer Products, the parent company of Hefty-brand products, of defrauding Arizona consumers by marketing certain bags as recyclable, even though municipal recycling facilities cannot process them.

The bags could also make the contents inside unrecyclable as well, force the recyclables to be sent to landfills and cause recycling facilities to shut down, according to the lawsuit.

Mayes is seeking a permanent injunction that forces Reynolds to stop engaging in deceptive practices. She also filed the lawsuit to obtain financial restitution for any consumers who were deceived and to secure a civil penalty against the company.

“Corporate greed was prioritized over being honest to consumers,” Mayes said in the media release. “Reynolds lied on the packaging, misled Arizonans and profited off of well-meaning consumers who simply wanted to protect our state by recycling.”

Lawsuit alleges company defrauded consumers over recycling bags

The lawsuit centers on Hefty’s line of “Clear” and “Blue” bags that carried a prominent green label that said “Recycling” on the front.

The bags were sold as far back as 2019 in a variety of sizes, according to the lawsuit, which also said the boxes featured a picture that showed the bags filled with recyclables.

The back of the boxes also featured labels claiming the bags were “perfect for all your recycling needs,” and that they were “designed to handle all types of recyclables,” according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit states that the packaging changed in 2022. However, the word “recycling” was still prominently featured, along with images associated with recycling.

The packaging was changed once again in 2024 to remove the word “recycling,” but the images of the bags filled with recyclables remained, according to the lawsuit.

Hefty’s latest packaging contained statements saying the bags were only to be used by “participating municipal programs,” and that the bags were “not recyclable.”

Mayes’ lawsuit claims that every version of the packaging is fraudulent.

Anyone who believes they were a victim in this case is asked to call the Arizona Attorney General’s Office at 602-542-5763 or fill out the consumer complaint form on the office’s website.

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