We’ve all seen photographs of turtles and other marine animals suffering the consequences of plastic bags in the oceans and rivers. According to National Geographic, 100,000 species die each year due to plastic bags. That’s why more and more people are opting for ‘reusable,’ ‘biodegradable,’ and ‘compostable’ bags. But which one is the true and only bag that doesn’t harm the environment when it reaches the sea?
Reusable Fabric Bags (Non-Woven Polypropylene)
These bags are trendy and are mostly sold with labels like ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘environmentally friendly.’ However, these bags are the worst of all. While they can be used multiple times, they tend to tear easily and have a weight resistance similar to disposable plastic bags. Moreover, these bags are not recyclable, meaning they cannot be converted back into bags since there’s no method to convert the fabric into pellets. This also makes them non-reprocessable; they cannot be turned into a different product, such as plastic bristles for brooms or any other plastic product derived from the material. These reasons make fabric bags far from environmentally friendly.
They are devastating to the environment. When discarded, they take 1,400 years to disintegrate in the oceans and 400 years in the soil. Over time, they break down into smaller pieces called microplastics, which are carcinogenic and toxic, even reaching humans through the air.
Recyclable Plastic Bags
These bags have been banned in most countries; they are the classic bags used for grocery shopping. They are made of HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) and are recyclable, as they can be turned into garbage bags. They can also be reprocessed to make detergent bottles, crates, benches, and more.
The downside is that they are derived from petroleum extraction, which is a highly polluting process, especially when done through fracking, causing oil spills that contaminate groundwater, surface water, and soil.
Due to their second use for containing waste, they arrive dirty at landfills, making them challenging to recycle and reprocess. A country’s recycling capacity also plays a significant role; for example, in Mexico, less than 2% of consumed plastics are recycled.
At the end of their life cycle and when they end up in landfills, pipes, the ocean, and the soil, they take at least 200 years to degrade, causing significant harm, including:
- Clogging city pipes, causing floods, and being a significant contaminant in water treatment plants.
- Strangling and killing marine animals like turtles, dolphins, and whales, as they are often mistaken for other creatures like jellyfish or fish. This leads to a decline in the population of these animals and seriously affects the ecosystem.
- Fragmentation into particles smaller than 5 mm: microplastics, contaminating oceans, rivers, drinking water, rainwater, and even food, causing neoplasia (tumor growth) and other symptoms due to their toxicity.
Bags Made from Corn Starch, Etc.
These bags possess the same properties as conventional plastic bags, meaning they are NOT biodegradable because they are chemically identical to conventional plastic bags. Just because something comes from a natural source (corn, etc.) does NOT mean it is biodegradable; proper testing is always required. In fact, their origin (corn, etc.) makes them even worse because, unlike those derived from petroleum, these biobased bags cannot be recycled or reprocessed.
So why do they read ‘compostable’? They are industrially compostable, meaning they will NEVER disappear in household compost. Currently, in Mexico, there is no industrial compost, so these bags are marketed with the label ‘compostable’ even though they will never be composted, even if transported to an industrial compost facility in the United States. After the process, they would leave behind microplastics (because they were always plastic).
Oxofragmentable Bags
These are also misleadingly called ‘oxodegradable’ or ‘oxobiodegradable’ bags. They are made from petroleum or natural sources and contain an additive (such as eco-one and d2w) made from a heavy metal salt like selenium, which allows them to break into thousands of pieces, essentially fragmenting into microplastics + heavy metals that are highly polluting and harmful to all living beings. They accumulate in the body due to their compatibility and affinity with fat, passing through the food chain, from prey to predator.
For these reasons, these bags have a short shelf life, as they are highly susceptible to external conditions such as temperature and sunlight, lasting very little for businesses like restaurants, delivery services, and stores. They tend to tear quickly and have low weight tolerance because their fragmentation process begins as soon as they are produced. As a result, the consumption of these bags increases even more because people prefer to use a ‘double bag.’
bax® Bags
What’s Wonderful
They are made from Polivitalio®, a material created from apple cider vinegar, which is a natural source, uses zero trees and zero water as raw materials, and is not produced through polymerization. This means that the only gases emitted during their production are less than 0.1% carbon dioxide, an infinitesimal amount, making their carbon footprint very low.
What Sets Them Apart
They have a weight resistance four times greater than conventional plastics, encouraging low bag consumption, with only one bag needed for carrying heavy items. Moreover, they are the first bags that, besides being reusable, completely return to nature after their useful life. No matter where they are properly disposed of, bax® bags disintegrate in a matter of days, leaving no residues. You can easily test this effect or dispose of the bag from your home. Place the bag in a container with hot water, and in less than five seconds, it will dissolve. After the water cools, it can be used for plant irrigation, providing nutrients.
Varieties
bax® bags are available in formats such as T-shirt bags, boutique bags, garbage bags, roll bags, pet waste bags, laundry bags, and even shrink film.
If it’s bax®, it NEVER contaminates.
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