A retired ice pack is two parts: the plastic shell and the fill inside. In GEBHARDT eutectic plates the shell is food-safe polyethylene, the fill is non-toxic salt water, and GEBHARDT describes the plate as recyclable. Gel packs of other brands may carry a different fill; then the product's safety data sheet decides.
The shell is sorted by its material mark. A shell whose mark cannot be read, or that is collected as mixed plastic, falls into a low-value stream. Some recycling facilities do not accept a filled pack; ask the municipality or a licensed collector about the shell material and about filled packs. If you have to empty the fill, do it in an area where nothing can spill onto the floor and with gloves, not at the edge of the loading dock.
Before discarding, check whether the plate is still usable: a sound plate taken off the food line can go to a second user for non-food work. Record the number taken out of service, the date and the waste route delivered, so that reused and disposed quantities stay separate.
