Most plastic bags are mainly made from Polyethylene, which is a by-product of the petroleum industry. Not only are there issues with the rate at which these bags breakdown, but the chemicals released as part of the decomposition process; organo-chlorine (highly toxic), methane (a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming) and nitrous oxide.
There are alternatives; but even some of the options touted as being earth-friendly have issues that negatively impact on the environment; although not to the degree of polyethylene bags.
Oxo-biodegradable plastic: Oxo-biodegradable plastic is still made from petroleum by-products, but doesn't give off the above toxins. Bacteria break down the plastic into CO2, water, and humus.
Hydro-biodegradable bags: Hydro-biodegradable bags are made from starch-based plastics; i.e. plants. But it's not as earth-friendly as it sounds. Aside from expense and strength issues, in order to break down they must be in an environment with a lot of bacteria and during the decomposition process they give off a great deal of methane and carbon dioxide.
Multi-use bags: Of course, the best bags are the ones made from organic materials that you can reuse. A huge industry has started up in the production of reusable bags, but unfortunately, many of these products are only good for so many uses and then they are discarded. The problem is that in some cases, the bag contains as many harmful chemicals as the sum total of the disposable bags it is meant to replace!
Wherever possible, buy earth friendly bags made of hemp or other renewable materials that aren't harsh on the environment in their production.
Michael Bloch is the author and owner of Green Living Tips.com, an online resource powered by renewable energy offering a wide variety of earth friendly tips, green guides, advice and environment related news to help consumers and business to reduce costs, consumption and environmental impact on the planet.
http://www.greenlivingtips.com
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