Whilst they are commonly used, plastic bags have properties that make them harmful to the environment, and have been identified as a key source of waste as they cannot be bio-degraded. Until recently, plastic bags were everywhere and used as the most regular means of carrying shopping and disposing of waste-products. However, in recent years, many shops, especially supermarkets have encouraged their customers to use more eco-friendly alternatives and have even started charging for them, as well as offering incentives for re-using bags.
However despite these changes, plastic bags remain widely-used and are harmful to the environment because their key components cannot be broken down. These sort of non-organic materials are resistant to microorganisms and therefore cannot be naturally degraded. The most common type of plastics found in the world are made from polythene materials and are used in everything from plastic bags to water bottles, and are also resistant to the process of bio-degradation. Similarly, many bags and plastics are also produced from petroleum based materials which cannot be broken down by natural enzymes, and therefore pose a serious environmental threat.
Therefore if eco-friendly bags are produced they need to be made of materials that are subject to the microorganism process, and several options are already available. For instance: wood-pulp can be used to make bags and is very eco-friendly as it can be dissolved or disposed of in a manner that is harmless. Other natural and organic materials such as vegetable oils and starches can also be used, and additionally have the advantage of being non-toxic and long-lasting.
Fortunately the world is becoming an increasingly eco-friendly place and fewer shops are using bags made from environmentally-harmful materials. And as more bags continue to be made from bio-degradable products and materials, the world can take decisive steps to becoming greener.
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