Plastic shopping bags,
carrier bags, or
plastic grocery bags, are a common type of
shopping bagShopping bags are medium sized bags, typically around 10-20 litres in volume , that are often used by grocery shoppers to carry home their purchases...
in several countries. Most often these bags are intended for a single use to carry items from a store to a home:
reuseReuse is to use an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse where the item is used again for the same function, and new-life reuse where it is used for a new function. In contrast, recycling is the breaking down of the used item into raw materials which are used to make new items...
for storage or trash (
bin bagA bin bag, garbage bag, trash bag, refuse sack, can liner , swag sack or bin liner is a disposable bag used to contain rubbish. Such bags are useful to line the insides of waste containers to prevent the insides of the receptacle from becoming coated in waste material...
s) is common. Heavier duty plastic shopping bags are suitable for multiple uses as
reusable shopping bagA reusable shopping bag, sometimes called bag for life is a type of shopping bag which can be reused several or even many times: this is an alternative of single use paper or plastic bags...
s.
Plastic bags are often made from
polyethylenePolyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons. Its primary use is within packaging .- Description :Polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer consisting of long chains of the monomer ethylene...
, which consists of a long chain of ethylene monomers.
Plastic shopping bags,
carrier bags, or
plastic grocery bags, are a common type of
shopping bagShopping bags are medium sized bags, typically around 10-20 litres in volume , that are often used by grocery shoppers to carry home their purchases...
in several countries. Most often these bags are intended for a single use to carry items from a store to a home:
reuseReuse is to use an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse where the item is used again for the same function, and new-life reuse where it is used for a new function. In contrast, recycling is the breaking down of the used item into raw materials which are used to make new items...
for storage or trash (
bin bagA bin bag, garbage bag, trash bag, refuse sack, can liner , swag sack or bin liner is a disposable bag used to contain rubbish. Such bags are useful to line the insides of waste containers to prevent the insides of the receptacle from becoming coated in waste material...
s) is common. Heavier duty plastic shopping bags are suitable for multiple uses as
reusable shopping bagA reusable shopping bag, sometimes called bag for life is a type of shopping bag which can be reused several or even many times: this is an alternative of single use paper or plastic bags...
s.
History
Plastic bags are often made from
polyethylenePolyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons. Its primary use is within packaging .- Description :Polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer consisting of long chains of the monomer ethylene...
, which consists of a long chain of ethylene monomers. Ethylene is derived from natural gas and petroleum, and it was not until 1977 that polyethylene was used in forms of plastic grocery bags. Dixie Bag Co. of College Park GA, owned and operated by J.W. "The "Bagman" McBride was a leader in the new industry and hoped to bring convenient products to all major shopping stores. Mr. McBride's, Dixie Bag, as well as Houston Poly Bag, were instrumental in manufacturing, marketing, and perfecting this unique bag by the early 80s. Kroger, an Atlanta based Company, agreed to try this innovation. So, the real change in grocery bags did not start until 1982, when the two of America’s largest grocery companies Safeway and Kroger started replacing paper bags with more affordable plastic bags. From then on, the usage of plastic bags became common for carrying daily groceries from the store, to our vehicles, and finally to our homes. As plastic bags increasingly replaced paper bags, and as other plastic materials and products replaced glass, metal, stone, timber and other materials, a
packaging materials war erupted with plastic shopping bags at the centre of highly publicised battles.
Composition
Plastic shopping bags are usually made of
polyethylenePolyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons. Its primary use is within packaging .- Description :Polyethylene is a thermoplastic polymer consisting of long chains of the monomer ethylene...
. This can be
low-densityLow-density polyethylene is a thermoplastic made from petroleum. It was the first grade of polyethylene, produced in 1933 by Imperial Chemical Industries using a high pressure process via free radical polymerisation . Its manufacture employs the same method today...
,
resin identification codeThe SPI resin identification coding system is a set of symbols placed on plastics to identify the polymer type. It was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988, and used internationally....
4, or most often
high-densityHigh-density polyethylene or polyethylene high-density is a polyethylene thermoplastic made from petroleum. It takes 1.75 kilograms of petroleum to make one kilogram of HDPE...
,
resin identification codeThe SPI resin identification coding system is a set of symbols placed on plastics to identify the polymer type. It was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988, and used internationally....
2.
Although often quoted as consuming oil resources, most plastic bags are actually made from natural gas.
Although not in use today, plastic shopping bags could be made from Polylactic acid (PLA) a biodegradable polymer derived from lactic acid. This is one form of vegetable-based
bioplasticBioplastics are a form of plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable oil, corn starch, pea starch or microbiota , rather than fossil-fuel plastics which are derived from petroleum...
. This material biodegrades quickly under composting conditions and does not leave toxic residue. However, bioplastic can have its own environmental impacts, depending on the way it is produced. Recyclability of this experimental material is unproven:
resin identification codeThe SPI resin identification coding system is a set of symbols placed on plastics to identify the polymer type. It was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988, and used internationally....
7 is applicable.
Bags made of biodegradable polythene film, which decompose when exposed to sun, air, and moisture, and are also suited for
compostingComposting is the purposeful biodegradation of organic matter, such as yard and food waste. The decomposition is performed by micro-organisms, mostly bacteria, but also yeasts and fungi...
have been proposed as an alternative to conventional plastic shopping bags. However, they do not readily decompose in a sealed landfill and represent a possible contaminant to
plastic recyclingPlastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state...
operations.
Resin identification codeThe SPI resin identification coding system is a set of symbols placed on plastics to identify the polymer type. It was developed by the Society of the Plastics Industry in 1988, and used internationally....
7 is applicable.
Environmental issues
Reusable shopping bagA reusable shopping bag, sometimes called bag for life is a type of shopping bag which can be reused several or even many times: this is an alternative of single use paper or plastic bags...
s are often considered better for the environment than single use bags. Plastic shopping bags have advantages and disadvantages when compared to paper bags.
Advantages
Compared to paper bags
- The United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged to regulate chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land...
says paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic. Plastic bags require much less energy to manufacture, ship and recycle and because of this plastic generates less greenhouse gasGreenhouse gases are gases in an atmosphere that absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The main greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
. Plastic bags cause less air and water pollution. They compress to a small size in landfills.
- Sterile method for transporting food products and preventing food borne illness.
- Light weight nature requires less energy consumption during transportation compared to paper with a 7:1 advantage.
- Many studies comparing plastic bags versus paper bag show that plastic bags have less net environmental effect than paper bags, requiring less energy to produce, transport and recycle; however these studies also note that recycling rates for plastic are significantly lower than for paper.
- Plastic carrier bags can be reuse
Reuse is to use an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse where the item is used again for the same function, and new-life reuse where it is used for a new function. In contrast, recycling is the breaking down of the used item into raw materials which are used to make new items...
d as trash bags or bin bagA bin bag, garbage bag, trash bag, refuse sack, can liner , swag sack or bin liner is a disposable bag used to contain rubbish. Such bags are useful to line the insides of waste containers to prevent the insides of the receptacle from becoming coated in waste material...
s.
- According to the Australian government most bags are reused as bin liners.
- Plastic bags can be recycled through some grocery store takeback programs.
- When it comes to concerns about their impact on the environment The EPA was quoted in an interview saying…”consumers shouldn't stress too much, as long as they're recycling or reusing store bags, said Chris Newman, an environmental scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”
Disadvantages
- Plastic shopping bags are made from petrochemicals which are not renewable.
- When disposed of improperly, they are unsightly and endanger many forms of wildlife.
- Plastic bags, conventional or "compostable", do not readily biodegrade in a sanitary landfill as paper and other materials don't either.
- Plastic bags (particularly thin dry cleaning bags) can cause unsupervised infants to suffocate when not handled properly.
- According to the UK government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
, there are several problems with plastic recyclingPlastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state...
, and in particular plastic bags.
- The high volume to weight ratio of plastic means that the collection and transport of this waste is difficult and expensive.
Various jurisdictions across countries, states, counties and cities have legislated plastic bag litter and waste through a variety of voluntary or mandatory programs to include the development of recycling programs, education programs, point of sale taxes or bans on plastic bags.
Recycling
Plastic shopping bags can be recycled and groups like the
Progressive bag allianceThe Progressive Bag Alliance was founded in 2005 and is a group of American plastic bag manufacturers who advocate recycling plastic shopping bags as an alternative to banning the bags. In 2007 they became the Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Chemistry Counsel...
promote education as a way of increasing rates of
plastic recyclingPlastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state...
.
Growing recycling rates in North America
Although the
United States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged to regulate chemicals and protect human health by safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land...
stated in 2000 that only 1% of plastic bags were recycled, significant attention resulted in a 700% growth in the recycling industry as new capacity led to a 7% rate. This resulted in more that 800 million lbs of bags and other film being recycled in 2007 alone Each ton of recycled plastic bags saves the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil, although most bags are produced from natural gas derived stock. In light of an Australian study showing more than 60% of bags are reused as bin liners and for other purposes, the 7% recycling rate account for 17.5% of bags available for recycling.
See also
- Bioplastic
Bioplastics are a form of plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable oil, corn starch, pea starch or microbiota , rather than fossil-fuel plastics which are derived from petroleum...
- Plastic bag
A plastic bag or pouch is a type of flexible packaging made of thin, flexible, plastics film. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, chemicals and waste....
- Environment
The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a term that encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof....
- Litter
Litter is waste that people unlawfully dispose of outdoors. It can be packaging or other unwanted items. Litter can be vandalism, carelessness, or inadvertence. Litter is a form of visual pollution. It can harm health, safety, and welfare...
- Bin bag
A bin bag, garbage bag, trash bag, refuse sack, can liner , swag sack or bin liner is a disposable bag used to contain rubbish. Such bags are useful to line the insides of waste containers to prevent the insides of the receptacle from becoming coated in waste material...
- Plastic recycling
Plastic recycling is the process of recovering scrap or waste plastics and reprocessing the material into useful products, sometimes completely different in form from their original state...
- Biodegradable polythene film
- Biodegradation
Biodegradation is the material breakdown of chemicals by a physiological environment. The term is often used in relation to ecology, waste management and environmental remediation . Organic material can be degraded aerobically with oxygen, or anaerobically, without oxygen...
- Progressive bag alliance
The Progressive Bag Alliance was founded in 2005 and is a group of American plastic bag manufacturers who advocate recycling plastic shopping bags as an alternative to banning the bags. In 2007 they became the Progressive Bag Affiliates of the American Chemistry Counsel...
- Paper pollution
The production, use and recycling of paper has a number of adverse effects on the environment which are known collectively as paper pollution. Pulp mills contribute to air, water and land pollution. Discarded paper is a major component of many landfill sites, accounting for about 35% by weight of...
- Photodegradation
Photodegradation is degradation of a photodegradable molecule caused by the absorption of photons, particularly those wavelengths found in sunlight, such as infrared radiation, visible light and ultraviolet light. However, other forms of electromagnetic radiation can cause photodegradation...
- Reusable shopping bag
A reusable shopping bag, sometimes called bag for life is a type of shopping bag which can be reused several or even many times: this is an alternative of single use paper or plastic bags...
- Trash bag
Further reading
- Susan Selke|Selke, S, Packaging and the Environment, 1994, ISBN 1566761042
- Susan Selke|Selke, S,. Plastics Packaging, 2004, ISBN 1569903727
- Stillwell, E. J, Packaging for the Environment, A. D. Little, 1991, ISBN 0814450741
- Scheirs, J., Polymer Recycling: Science, Technology and Applications, 1998, ISBN 0471970549