A Few Sound Thoughts on Polyethylene Bags and Recycling

A Few Sound Thoughts On Polyethylene Bags and Recycling

Recently, what most people refer to as “plastic” bags have found their way into the news recently, because they have become an environmental problem in many communities. There are however, many facts that need to be clarified on this issue, before it can be approached with the goal of reaching an intelligent decision, one way or another. The first thing that must be clarified is that the type of “plastic” disposable bag that is commonly used in retail establishments is actually made from polyethylene.

Is Polyethylene a Plastic ?

The word “plastic does not actually refer to anay particular type of chemical or substance. Rather, it refers to any number of common substances flexible properties. The word “plastic” is derived from the Latin word “plastique”, which roughly translates into “to change” in English.

Polyethylene Bags are Cheap to Manufacture

Polyethylene bags have become popular, because they are cheap to manufacture and because polyethylene is made from petroleum, which up until recently was relatively inexpensive. Other plastics that other bags and wrapping products are made from are derived from substances such as vegetable oil and even wood pulp, which is more expensive.

Ecological Issues

The ecological problems that arise out of the use of polyethylene bags manifest themselves when the bags themselves are improperly disposed of. While environmentalist point up the fact that they take up to a thousand years to decompose when they are buried the real problem comes from the fact that as litter blowing in the wind, they can take a very long time to degrade.

The Search for a Solution

While some people claim that a return to paper bags may be a solution to the problem, paper in itself, has its ecological downsides. For instance, paper uses a lot of water and energy when being processes from wood pulp. Also, a return to paper bags would be devastating on the worlds forests, which are already under pressure from commercial interests.

Tagged as: Bags, Polyethylene, recycling, Sound, Thoughts