People can’t live without going to convenience stores and supermarkets. Sometimes they shop more often than they imagine. Shopping bags are the most indispensable thing when you go shopping. When you’re done with your shopping bags, you’ll figure out what to do with them. Should I just throw them in the trash? Can they be used multiple times?
If given the choice, most people will opt for shopping bags that can be reused, which can reduce the expenditure on shopping bags and also reduce the waste of resources.
What are Reusable Shopping Bags?
Reusable shopping bags refer to bags made of natural materials that can be used many times, which is completely different from disposable shopping bags made of petrochemical materials. Most reusable bags are made from corn, potatoes, wheat starch, etc., so they are considered environmentally friendly. In general, these reusable pouches are easy to fold and store without taking up too much space. As a result, they are fully loved by people.
Types of Shopping Bags
In daily life, there are three most common materials of shopping bags: plastic, paper, and cloth.
Plastic shopping bags
The raw materials for plastic shopping bags come from non-renewable energy sources such as petroleum. These substances extracted from petroleum are polymerized to form raw materials for plastic products. Since their raw materials are non-renewable, these plastic bags are not classified as environmentally friendly.
Nowadays, biodegradable shopping bags are available, including biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and compostable. This kind of shopping packet is made of plant-based materials, like cron, potatoes, and grains. Due to the characteristics of plant-based materials, they are more durable and tough than traditional plastic shopping bags, allowing them to carry more weight and be used multiple times.
Paper shopping bags
Paper shopping bags are made of wood pulp which is sourced from freshly harvested wood and recycled waste paper. This kind of shopping bag can be recycled and pollution-free, but the disadvantage is that not everything can be loaded, the quality and load-bearing capacity is not as good as plastic bags, and the items that can be loaded are very limited. Thus paper shopping bags are used in shopping malls to sell clothes, shoes, and hats, because the display of paper shopping bags is very good, and printing and branding on them can bring a good publicity effect to clothing brands.
Cloth shopping bags
Cloth bags include non-woven fabrics, canvas, linen, cotton, and so on. Cloth shopping bags are generally washable, which also determines their high reuse rate. They are also strong enough to carry heavy items. When not in use, they can be folded and stored in a backpack. The inevitable disadvantage is that they cannot be used to hold water soup and soup things, which is more suitable for plastic bags.
What Shopping Bags are Biodegradable?
Most of the shopping bags we use every day are reusable, but not all of them are biodegradable. Traditional plastic shopping bags like polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride can only be used once if thin. In supermarkets, you can see white bags on the sides of the shelves for packing fruits, vegetables, raw meat, and bakery. These bagged bags of food have water or oil left on them, and they end up being thrown in the trash without being used multiple times. Not only that, these plastic bags end up on land and take thousands of years to completely decompose. More importantly, they decompose very long and produce harmful chemicals contaminating soil and groundwater.
Reusable shopping bags made from sustainable raw materials are biodegradable. These raw materials are derived from plant resources such as corn, potatoes, and wheat. With the feature of greater durability and toughness, these reusable bags have greater load-bearing capacity and are more reusable. Further, these reusable shopping bags can eventually be landfilled, and broken down into water, carbon dioxide, and humus under the action of bacteria or fungi, and these final products enter the soil, giving it nutrients and promoting plant growth.
Requisite Reuse Tips
- No matter what type of bag you use, the key to reducing its environmental impact is to reuse it as many times as possible. If you forget your bag in the car the next time you go to the store, try to go back and pick it up if possible.
- Remember to wash or sterilize the bag regularly, either once a week or after each purchase. Taking it further, you can choose fixed reusable bags for meat and produce.
- If you plan to dispose of your shopping bags, you can send the textile cloth bags to the textile recycling office, send the paper bags to the waste paper recycling office, and put the plastic bags in a landfill or give them to a specialized plastic processing plant.
Summary
In everyday life, there are many styles of reusable shopping bags to choose from, but not all of these bags are biodegradable. To protect the planet’s environment, I highly recommend that you use those biodegradable bags.
If you are looking for biodegradable and compostable shopping bags, ShinHigh will be a better choice for you. We have biodegradable plastic shopping bags and kraft paper shopping bags available. With more than 20 years of production experience, a mature industrial chain, and international comprehensive authoritative certification, we are fully capable of customizing high-quality personalized shopping bags for you. Choose us and the ideal shopping bag you imagined will become a reality. Feel free to contact us.
