Are biodegradable trash bags worth it?

Bag capable of being decomposed

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The seal of a biodegradable bag in French

Biodegradable bags are bags that are capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.[1]

Each year approximately 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide.[2]

Distinguishing "biodegradable" from "compostable"

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In typical parlance, the word biodegradable is distinct in meaning from compostable. While biodegradable simply means an object is capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms, "compostable" in the plastic industry is defined as able to decompose in aerobic environments that are maintained under specific controlled temperature and humidity conditions. Compostable means capable of undergoing biological decomposition in a compost site such that the material is not visually distinguishable and breaks down into carbon dioxide, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with known compostable materials. (ref: ASTM International D )

The inclusion of "inorganic materials" precludes the end product from being considered as compost, or humus, which is purely organic material[opinion]. Indeed, under the ASTM definition, the only criterion needed for a plastic to be called compostable is that it has to appear to go away at the same rate as something else that one already knows is compostable under the traditional definition[citation needed].

Plastic bags can be made "oxo-biodegradable" by being manufactured from a normal plastic polymer (i.e. polyethylene) or polypropylene incorporating an additive which causes degradation and then biodegradation of the polymer (polyethylene) due to oxidation.

Trade associations

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The trade association for the oxo-biodegradable plastics industry is the Oxo-biodegradable Plastics Association, which will certify products tested according to ASTM D or (starting 1 January ) UAE :

The trade associations for the compostable plastics industry are the Biodegradable Products Institute, "European Bioplastics", and SPIBioplastics Council. Money is certified as compostable for industrial composting conditions in the United States if they comply with ASTM D, and in Europe with the EN.

Materials

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Most bags that are manufactured from plastic are made from corn-based materials, like polylactic acid blends. Biodegradable plastic bags are nowadays as strong and reliable as traditional (mostly polyethylene)-bags. Many bags are also made from paper, organic materials like Manila hemp, or polycaprolactone.[2][3][4]

• A single use compostable bag from a grocery store

• A tote bag made of Manilla hemp, produced by the Swiss bag company QWSTION

"The public looks at biodegradable as something magical," even though the term is broadly used, according to Ramani Narayan, a chemical engineer at Michigan State University in East Lansing, and science consultant to the Biodegradable Plastics Institute. "This is the most used and abused and misused word in our dictionary right now. In the Great Pacific garbage patch, biodegradable plastics break up into small pieces that can more easily enter the food chain by being consumed."[5]

Recycling

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In-plant scrap can often be recycled but post-consumer sorting and recycling is difficult. Bio-based polymers will contaminate the recycling of other more common polymers. While oxo-biodegradable plastic manufacturers claim that their bags are recyclable, many plastic film recyclers will not accept them, as there have been no long-term studies on the viability of recycled-content products with these additives. Further, the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (BPI) says that the formulation of additives in oxo films varies greatly, which introduces even more variability in the recycling process.[6] SPI Resin identification code 7 is applicable.

Marketing qualification and legal issues

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Since many of these plastics require access to sunlight, oxygen, or lengthy periods of time to achieve degradation or biodegradation, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, commonly called the "green guide",[7] require proper marking of these products to show their performance limits.

The Federal Trade Commission provides an example:

Example 1: A trash bag is marketed as "degradable," with no qualification or other disclosure. The marketer relies on soil burial tests to show that the product will decompose in the presence of water and oxygen. The trash bags are customarily disposed of in incineration facilities or at sanitary landfills that are managed in a way that inhibits degradation by minimizing moisture and oxygen. Degradation will be irrelevant for those trash bags that are incinerated and, for those disposed of in landfills, the marketer does not possess adequate substantiation that the bags will degrade in a reasonably short period of time in a landfill. The claim is therefore deceptive.

Since there are no pass-fail tests for "biodegradable" plastic bags, manufacturers must print on the product the environmental requirements for biodegradation to take place, time frame and end results in order to be within US Trade Requirements.

In , the State of California essentially made the term "biodegradable bags" illegal,[8] unless such terms are "substantiated by competent and reliable evidence to prevent deceiving or misleading consumers about environmental impact of degradable, compostable, and biodegradable plastic bags, food service ware, and packaging."

In , an Australian manufacturer of plastic bags who made unsubstantiated or unqualified claims about biodegradability was fined by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, which is the Australian equivalent of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.[9]

In recent years, the Biodegradable Products Institute and related companies have claimed products compost in available compost facilities at 60 °C (140 °F). The Vermont attorney general found these claims to be misleading and sued compostable plastic companies for false claims.[10]

See also

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References

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Whether you&#;re tossing your own trash or whether you&#;re involved in commercial recycling,  have you ever stopped to think about what happens to your waste when it leaves your home or business? 

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Biodegradable Trash Bags 13 Gallon.

You&#;re not alone if you have. However, the majority of people don&#;t give it a second thought once it's collected from outside their door. 

Which garbage bags are best for green recycling? Biodegradable vs Compostable? Where do you buy biodegradable and compostable garbage bags? [caption id="attachment_" align="aligncenter" width="600"] CleanRiver's LeanStream[/caption]

Learn all of these answers below:

What Garbage Bags Are Best For The Environment?

You may have heard how important it is to keep your garbage biodegradable. The problem is most waste ends up in traditional trash bags, which aren&#;t biodegradable.

This means any waste trapped in the garbage bag is unlikely to biodegrade

, which is one problem with waste ending up in landfills.

Traditional garbage bags are made from plastic, which is the reason they can&#;t biodegrade. And this is only made worse when you look at the quantity of traditional trash bags being used. 

313.8 million Americans use traditional plastic trash bags

, and this figure is expected to continue to grow.

For biodegradable garbage to degrade, it requires 3 things:

1. Heat

2. Moisture 

3. Oxygen

If the waste bag is lacking in any of these things, it won&#;t be able to biodegrade, or it will take much longer than it should

Now think about how many of these elements that waste is going to get when it&#;s cocooned around

plastic bags

and piled under more trash?

If the plastic does breakdown eventually, it doesn&#;t actually disappear; instead, it turns into microplastic. These tiny pieces of plastic can leach into the soil, poisoning the land around it.

Or even worse, it gets picked up by the rain and pushed into the water system, where it can cause even more damage.

If we eat/drink anything that has microplastic in it, we then get infected with plastic chemicals. And this is why you should start using

biodegradable garbage bags

.

They give your trash a fighting chance of biodegrading and don&#;t damage the environment in the process.

&#;The problem is not just plastic: it is mass disposability. Or, to put it another way, the problem is pursuing, on the one planet known to harbour life, a four-planet lifestyle. Regardless of what we consume, the sheer volume of consumption is overwhelming the Earth&#;s living systems.&#;

  -

George Monbiot

What To Look For In Biodegradable Garbage Bags&#;

Just because the bags say they are biodegradable, it doesn&#;t mean they actually are.

Many manufacturers are taking advantage of people&#;s love for green recycling solutions.

• Bioplastic -

  Anything using this phrase is usually derived from plant-based plastic, so surely it can&#;t be that bad? Unfortunately, they&#;re not as good as you may think. The problem is when they do biodegrade, they create a lot more methane gases than compostable garbage bags. If you do use these waste bags, make sure they get disposed of at facilities that can handle methane.

• Bio-based -

  This style of biodegradable garbage bag is similar to bio-plastic. They use plant materials to make the product. The problem is they usually contain harmful chemicals. If you&#;re looking at these, try and look for bags that have a BPI certification. It&#;s the only way of knowing the bags will actually biodegrade without leaving harmful toxins.

• Degradable -

  By the sound of the name, you&#;d imagine the bags can break down. But this isn&#;t really the case. What it really means is the bags can neither biodegrade nor can they be composted. What happens instead is the bag turns into thousands of pieces of microplastic. 

Here are some of the things you should keep an eye out for when selecting bags for recycle bins and trash cans: 

Biodegradable vs Compostable: Which Is Better?

Although biodegradable bags can be ok, there&#;s still a chance they might be using harmful chemicals.

If they do use harsh chemicals, it makes them no better than traditional garbage bags. The best option is to go for compostable garbage bags; they have to pass more rigorous testing in order to get the name.

Look for ratings like D; this way, you know the bags will break down in a specific amount of time.

How Thick Are Compostable Garbage Bags?

[caption id="attachment_" align="aligncenter" width="400"] LeanStream Compost Container[/caption]

Most compostable bags are pretty thin, which can cause issues when you&#;re trying to remove a bin bag from an overfull bin. 

If you don&#;t want to fear the bag splitting each time you change the bag, check out the thickness of the bag.

What Size of Trash Can Do You Need?

[caption id="attachment_" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Cleanriver BevvyBins[/caption] Outdoor recycling bins, commercial trash cans, and green recycling bins are all different sizes, and luckily you can find biodegradable garbage bags to fit any size bin.

Ideally, you&#;re looking for a waste bag that fits snugly but also allows some extra wiggle room for when the bins get extra full. The most common size tends to be around 13 gallons.

Where To Buy Biodegradable Garbage Bags

As mentioned earlier, there are many manufacturers looking to capitalize on your interest in green recycling.

This means you need to be ultra-vigilant when choosing your brand, which can take a lot of research. As a leader in recycling solutions for over 30 years, we recommend the following brand: 

Primode

Primode waste bags are made with corn and vegetable starch, which means they can break down without causing any harm. You know you can trust these bags because of the BPI-ASTM D certification, which ensures quality.

They come with 50 in a pack and have a reasonable price, making them a bargain. You also have a vast selection of sizes, so you&#;ll always find one to fit your bin whether it&#;s for a commercial trash can, or outdoor recycling bins at home.

Are Biodegradable Garbage Bags Worth It?

Traditional trash bags are wreaking havoc at landfill sites all across the globe. It&#;s time to start thinking about switching to biodegradable garbage bags, both for your business recycling program and at home.

They give your garbage a chance to break-down without poisoning the planet in the process.

Ideally, you should look for compostable bags with an ASTM D640 rating. It&#;s the only way to know they will biodegrade efficiently.

For more tips and best practices when it comes to recycling garbage bags check out: CleanRiver Recycling provides a variety of innovative, flexible and customizable recycling solutions. Start saving money today with our green recycling programs. If you have additional questions that weren&#;t answered in this blog post please call us at 1-866-479- or

[caption id="attachment_" align="aligncenter" width="600"]CleanRiver's LeanStream[/caption][caption id="attachment_" align="aligncenter" width="400"]LeanStream Compost Container[/caption][caption id="attachment_" align="aligncenter" width="400"]Cleanriver BevvyBins[/caption]

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