There are various plastic bags available for us in daily life. Among them, biodegradable and compostable bags are becoming more and more popular all over the world. When you purchase some bags back at the company or home, it is necessary to judge and identify which ones are biodegradable and compostable and which are non-degradable. Here are some basic methods to help you make a distinction.
Methods to Identify and Make A Distinction
1. Look for the logos or markings
First of all, the easiest way to tell if a plastic bag is biodegradable or compostable is to look for the logos or markings, which are typically on the side or front.
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Logo code for traditional plastic bags
Most traditional plastic bags are made of polyethylene (PE). The surface of such bags usually appears with three wrapped black arrows with a digital code printed in the middle. Sometimes there is an abbreviation of polyethylene under this logo, such as”PE”, “LDPE”, “PE-HD” and “PE-LD”. In addition, the logo code of other plastic bags is generally the same as that of polyethylene. Look at the following icons.
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Logos for the biodegradable and compostable bags
In terms of biodegradable plastics, there are three authoritative certifications in the world, the US BPI certification, Germany DIN CERTCO certification, and Belgium TUV AUSTRIA certification. If your finished bags have passed the above certificate test, it indicates that your products comply with the quality standard for biodegradability.
According to the different disposal environments after use, biodegradable plastics are mainly divided into industrially compostable plastics, household compostable plastics, soil degradable plastics, and seawater degradable plastics. Different types of biodegradable plastics have corresponding standards and specifications.
Let’s discuss compostable plastic bags as an example.
Household compostable plastic bags and industrial compostable plastic bags have their certification standards. AS 5810 and EN 13432 are certification standards for home composting.
Industrial compost plastic bags need to meet the standard requirements of EN 13432 and EN14995. Compostable plastic bags may have logos printed on their surfaces, including these certification standards and the words “industrial compostable” and “home compostable.” Check to see if these certification marks are on the bags you purchase to determine the quality of your products.
2. The touch of the bags
When you pick up a plastic bag, the first thing you will perceive is the texture of the bag. Due to the properties of plant starch and fiber, biodegradable and compostable plastic bags exhibit a softer texture than conventional plastic bags.
In addition to the difference in touch, their smell is also very different. When you pick up a bag and smell it with your nose, if it smells of grain starch, you can conclude that it is a biodegradable plastic bag made of starch-based materials. If it is an ordinary plastic bag, it may have an unpleasant and pungent smell. Distinguishing by texture and smell is simple for us without much expertise and complex operation.
3. The burning nature of plastic bags
Another way to distinguish is a combustion test, where we judge the raw material of the bag by looking at the smoke, odor, and residue after burning the bag.
Traditional plastic bag incineration produces black smoke, a pungent odor, and finally leaves burned particles. There is no thick smoke in the incineration of fully degradable plastic bags, there will be no pungent smell, and only organic powder remains after combustion, which can be decomposed and absorbed.
Generally, this test method is not recommended. Because the black smoke and pungent odor produced by burning traditional plastics are harmful to the air and the human body. Moreover, the burning residue can only be left on land and degraded after hundreds of thousands of years. You might say there’s no harm in burning biodegradable and compostable bags, but that’s not the case. The presence of organic powders can also be harmful to the environment.
4. Storage time of plastic bags
As we all know, biodegradable plastic bags can break down in three to six months in the natural environment. When you find that the plastic bag becomes broken after being stored for about 6 months, these bags are biodegradable. On the contrary, they are made of traditional plastics. Therefore, if you buy biodegradable bags, it is recommended that you pay attention to the shelf life and use them as soon as possible. Otherwise, the plastic bags after degradation are very brittle and even become fragments.
Conclusion
Through the above several basic methods, I believe you can accurately identify ordinary plastic bags and biodegradable compostable plastic bags. To respond to national policies and protect beautiful earth homes, it is suggested that you use biodegradable and compostable plastic bags instead of traditional plastic bags.
If you are looking for a compostable bag supplier, you may wish to take a look at our ShinHigh. After more than 20 years of production and research, we have formed a strong production capacity.
In terms of certifications, ShinHigh compostable products have been certified by TUV as Ok Compost, Home Ok Compost, by DIN CERTCO according to EN13432, by Australia according to AS4736, and AS5810, by BPI according to ASTM D-6400, by Chinese National Plastic Products Quality Supervision and Inspection Center according to GB/T38082-2019, and safe for direct food contact(FDA).
With rich experience, we can provide comprehensive technical support and service. With more than 20 years of production experience, comprehensive certification from international authorities, and a professional technical team, we can customize your ideal high-quality products that can meet customer needs to the greatest extent. Choose us and you won’t be disappointed.
