Plastic shopping bags, carrier bags, or plastic grocery bags, are a common type of shopping bag in several countries. Most often these bags are intended for a single use to carry items from a store to a home: reuse for storage or trash (bin bags) is common. Heavier duty plastic shopping bags are suitable for multiple uses as reusable shopping bags.
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History
Plastic bags are often made from polyethylene, 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.[1] 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.[1] 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 center of highly publicized battles.
Composition
Plastic shopping bags are usually made of polyethylene. This can be low-density, resin identification code 4, or most often high-density, resin identification code 2.
Although often quoted as consuming oil resources, most plastic bags are actually made from natural gas.[2]
Although not in use today, plastic shopping bags could be made from Polylactic acid (PLA) a biodegradable polymer derived from lactic acid.[3] This is one form of vegetable-based bioplastic. 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 code 7 is applicable.
Bags made of biodegradable polythene film, which decompose when exposed to sun, air, and moisture, and are also suited for composting have been proposed as an alternative to conventional plastic shopping bags. However, they do not readily decompose in a sealed landfill[4] and represent a possible contaminant to plastic recycling operations. Resin identification code 7 is applicable.
Environmental concerns
Many people have concerns about littered plastic shopping bags: littered bags are unsightly and can create a hazard to animal life. Effors are underway to control excess usage, reduce littering, and to increase reuse and recycling.
Reuse
Heavy duty plastic shopping bags are suitable for reuse as reusable shopping bags. Lighter weight bags are often reused as bin bags (trash bags) or to pick up pet feces.
Recycling
Although the United States Environmental Protection Agency 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 than 800 million lbs of bags and other film being recycled in 2007 alone [5] 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.[6] In light of an Australian study showing more than 60% of bags are reused as bin liners and for other purposes[7], the 7% recycling rate account for 17.5% of bags available for recycling.
See also
- Bioplastic
- Plastic bag
- Litter
- Bin bag
- Plastic recycling
- Biodegradable polythene film
- Biodegradation
- Progressive bag alliance
- Paper pollution
- Photodegradation
- Reusable shopping bag
- Trash bag
- Biodegradable bags
References
- ^ a b Natural Resource Defense Council
- ^ US Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US Life Cycle Inventory Database, http://www.nrel.gov/lci/
- ^ Notes from the Packaging Laboratory: Polylactic Acid -- An Exciting New Packaging Material
- ^ The Guardian - Biodegradable plastic bags carry more ecological harm than good
- ^ http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/sec_content.asp?CID=1593&DID=8899
- ^ Questions About Your Community: Shopping Bags: Paper or Plastic or . . .?
- ^ http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/waste/plastic-bags/pubs/report-2002.pdf
Further reading
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Plastic bags |
- Selke, Susan. Packaging and the Environment, 1994, ISBN 1566761042
- Selke, Susan. 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
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