Boulder, CO, June 30, 2003 Imagine an end
to the picture of plastic bags blowing in the trees or clogging
waterways. We may be much closer to that goal with the
availability of a new plastic bag that is completely degradable.
Since the ?birth? of plastics during WWII,
plastic products have diversified and proliferated to the extent
that they now touch, and almost always, improve every aspect of
our lives today. Plastic can be light-weight yet strong and
durable, energy-efficient and economical, and water-resistant
yet somewhat elastic. These are the attributes that the retail
industry has come to value so highly in plastic carry bags.
Unfortunately, those very same attributes
are now earning plastic bags a negative reputation for their
current impact on our environment. Plastic bags are so
economical that, in 2001 we discarded 95% of the bags
manufactured that year. (4,220 thousand tons manufactured vs.
4,040 thousand tons discarded) They're strong, durable, and
long-lasting. But, they wind up tangled in trees and waterways,
choking land and marine animals that mistake them for food, or
enduring in our already overflowing landfills. Plastic bag
disposal has now become a huge, global problem.
The irony is that plastic is probably the
most highly recyclable material manufactured today, yet less
than 5% of recyclable plastic bags ever reach a recycling
facility! Starting in the 1980s, some manufacturers attempted
to solve the growing litter issue by creating a plastic bag with
starch added to it. But, this didn't solve problem because,
while starch bags break apart, they do not completely mineralize
(i.e. do not completely convert to carbon dioxide and water).
So, fragments of plastic still remain in landfills and
composting facilities.
The continuing evolution of plastic
technology now brings us a step closer to a solution:
completely degradable plastic bags. The new product is marketed
under the name Earth-Friendly EF/Bags. They're strong enough
for repeated re-use, yet are made with a new patented additive
of metal salts that enables degradation to go beyond simple
breakdown. The plastic fragments mineralize completely and
return to dust in the soil. And, because the additive itself is
a natural element, it will not pollute the recycling stream.
So, EF/Bags are also just as highly recyclable as any other
plastic bag.
Manufactured by Roplast Industries of
Oroville, California, and distributed exclusively by Bags, Inc.,
of Boulder, CO, earth-friendly "EF/Bags" are available in two
formulations: Degradable "EF/D Bags" and Compostable "EF/C
Bags." Both are FDA-approved for direct food contact, and their
degradation claims have been tested and verified by ASTM, the
American Society for Testing and Materials. EF/D Bags will
break down within 18 months of disposal. EF/C Bags contain a
larger amount of the additive, and are designed to break down
within 30-60 days of disposal in the controlled environment of a
commercial composting facility. If disposed of in any other
manner, EF/C Bags will break down at a more natural rate of
12-24 months.
If we're truly becoming a "disposable
society," our environmental challenges will continue. But,
completely degradable plastic bags can be a step in the right
direction of reducing plastic bag litter in environment.
Earth-friendly EF/Bags are "the bag that recycles itself."
Founded in 1996, Bags, Inc. began primarily as a distributor
of stock industrial packaging. An early adopter of technology,
Bags developed its first Web site in 1996 and now uses the Web
as the main source of marketing and advertising. Bags, Inc. is
an integrated supplier of earth-friendly packaging products for
retail, industrial, food service and promotional businesses.
