SEATTLE — Local grocers around King County are helping test out a new program to help residents more easily dispose of tricky items that are not accepted via curbside recycling. Announced last week on "Global Recycling Day," the new effort provides and empties new blue bins specifically for recycling plastic wraps, bags and film packaging.

King County's Solid Waste Division partnered with Seattle Public Utilities and 10 grocery stores around the region to try it out, with hopes of cutting down on improper recycling of things that can be confusing, like plastic wrap, sealable food bags, bubble wrap and e-commerce packaging.

"Now it's as easy as a trip to the store to give old plastic bags and bubble mailers new life as products made of clean recycled materials," said Andy Smith, with the King County Solid Waste Division. "This pilot will offer insights on ways to put good recyclable materials back into the economy where they'll have the most benefit."

Film packaging that is collected will be converted into plastic pellets, which are used to create new products from fully recycled materials.

"Film packaging is currently recycled and re-used into many applications — both durable ones such as plastic lumber, fences, agriculture applications, as well as non-durable applications such as packaging," said Tony Moucachen, president of Merlin Plastics. "Through Merlin's innovative recycling process, this pilot will increase the recycling of plastic bags and wraps which, in turn, will keep this material out of our natural environment and displace non-renewable resources."

Here are the ten grocery stores participating in the pilot program:

Residents can also find a list of other drop-off locations around the region online.