There are many kinds of plastic bags, such as polyethylene, which is also called PE, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-mi-degree polyethylene (LDPE), which is a commonly used material for plastic bags. When these ordinary plastic bags are not added with degradants, it takes hundreds of years to degrade, which brings unimaginable pollution to the earth’s organisms and the environment.
There are also some incompletely degraded bags, such as photodegradation, oxidative degradation, stone-plastic degradation, etc., where degrading agents or calcium carbonate are added to the polyethylene. The human body is even worse.
There are also some fake starch bags, which cost a little more than ordinary plastic, but it is also called “degradable”. In short, no matter what the manufacturer adds to PE, it is still polyethylene. Of course, as a consumer, you may not be able to see it all.
A very simple comparison method is the unit price. The cost of non-degradable degradable garbage bags is only a little higher than that of ordinary ones. The cost of real biodegradable garbage bags is two or three times higher than that of ordinary ones. If you encounter The kind of “degradable bag” with a very low unit price, don’t think that it is cheap to pick up, it is likely to be a bag that is not completely degraded.
Think about it, if the bags with such a low unit price can degrade, why do scientists still study those higher-cost fully biodegradable plastic bags? Garbage bags make up a large part of plastic packaging, and this common plastic waste and so-called “degradable” garbage bags are not actually degradable.
In the context of the plastic restriction order, many businesses use the word “degradable” to sell a large number of cheap non-degradable plastic bags under the banner of “environmental protection” and “degradable”; and consumers also do not understand, simple It is believed that the so-called “degradable” is “full degradation”, so that this “microplastic” may once again become a garbage that harms animals and humans.
To popularize it, degradable plastics can be divided into petrochemical-based degradable plastics and bio-based degradable plastics according to the source of raw materials.
According to the degradation route, it can be divided into photodegradation, thermo-oxidative degradation and biodegradation.
Photodegradable plastics: Light conditions are required. In most cases, photodegradable plastics cannot be fully degraded either in the garbage disposal system or in the natural environment due to the existing conditions.
Thermo-oxidative plastics: Plastics that break down under the action of heat or oxidation over a period of time resulting in changes in the chemical structure of the material. Due to the existing conditions, it is difficult to completely degrade in most cases.
Biodegradable plastics: plant-based such as starch straws or raw materials such as PLA + PBAT, biodegradable plastics can be composted with waste gas, such as kitchen waste, and can be degraded into water and carbon dioxide. Bio-based plastics can also reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Compared with ordinary plastics, bio-based plastics can reduce oil resource consumption by 30% to 50%.
Understand the difference between degradable and fully degradable, are you willing to spend money on fully degradable garbage bags?
For ourselves, for our descendants, for the creatures on earth, and for a better living environment, we must have a long-term vision.
Post time: Feb-14-2022