Plastic bags are a huge problem for our environment. It may be hard to believe, but Americans use 100 billion plastic bags every year—and almost all of those end up in landfills or floating in the ocean. But there's a solution: biodegradable plastic bags! Biodegradable plastic bags are just like regular plastic bags, except they'll eventually break down into tiny pieces that won't harm animals or ecosystems. So should we all switch to them? Let's find out!
Biodegradable plastic bags are made with polylactic acid (PLA), a form of polyester. PLA is a renewable resource that's made from plants, which makes it an environmentally friendly choice for use in packaging and other products.
Biodegradable plastic bags are not the same as compostable plastic bags. Compostable plastics break down when they’re exposed to microorganisms, but biodegradable plastics only break down when exposed to oxygen—meaning that you'll need to leave your bag outside for it to work properly!
Biodegradable plastic bags are a way to reduce the number of plastic bags in the environment, which is something we all want to do. They're also designed to break down faster than regular plastic bags so that they don't take as long to decompose and can be used for composting or other purposes.
Biodegradable plastic bags are made from a different type of plastic than conventional plastic bags, which is called polylactic acid (PLA). PLA is made from plants and can be recycled. It’s also biodegradable and compostable—but that doesn't mean it's as good for the environment as you might think.
The problem with biodegradable plastics is that they don't always break down quickly enough to avoid harming wildlife or polluting water systems after consumers throw them away. Composting helps some bioplastics decompose faster, but even then they take months or years instead of just seconds to break down completely in soil or landfill conditions.
Biodegradable plastic bags can take hundreds of years to decompose.
In fact, biodegradable plastics are not 100% biodegradable. They contain additives that slow down their natural breakdown and make them more likely to break into smaller pieces—but they're not guaranteed to break down in any reasonable amount of time. And even if they do break down faster than regular plastic, they still end up in the same place: landfills or littering our streets, oceans and waterways.
Biodegradable plastic is not the same thing as compostable plastic, which can be broken down by microorganisms and returned to the soil. Biodegradable plastic is made from corn, while compostable plastics are generally made from polylactic acid (PLA). Biodegradable plastics take a long time to break down and are not biocompatible, meaning they don't interact with living things in a way that's beneficial for either side. Recycling these materials isn't an option either—they're often classified as "non-recyclables," so you shouldn't put them in your recycling bin anyway.
No, you can't put biodegradable plastic in the compost. Biodegradable plastics are not compostable or recyclable and should never be placed in the recycling or trash bins. Just because a bag says "biodegradable" doesn't mean it's good for you or the environment—it just means it will decompose faster than regular plastic bags.
According to [the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers](https://www.recyclenow.org/learn-more/what-is/composting), “the term ‘biodegradable’ refers specifically to materials that will break down into smaller pieces without leaving any toxic residue." This does not mean that these materials are safe for use as food packaging or carry out bags! In fact, many bioplastics contain additives such as corn starch and nylon 6 (a type of plastic) which make them even less suitable for use as food packaging than standard plastics
The best way to cut down on our plastic use is to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we buy in the first place. Use reusable bags when you go shopping, and avoid buying food in branded packaging. If you do find yourself with a bunch of plastic containers, jars or bottles that need storing, reuse them as much as possible before recycling them. Alternatively, consider reusing old tins and glass jars for storing food — they’re a great alternative to plastic containers!
It’s clear that biodegradable plastic isn’t the answer to our environmental problems; however, there are other ways we can reduce our impact on the planet by reducing our reliance on single-use straws, cups and bags.
Biodegradable plastic is not a perfect solution, but it's a good step. Biodegradable plastic is not compostable, so you can't put it in your backyard and leave it there. You also can't recycle biodegradable plastic bags by putting them in your recycling bin on garbage day; the sorting machines at recycling facilities won't recognize them as recyclable because they're so thin and light.
So what does this mean for consumers? It means that bioplastics are still too expensive for most people to use regularly, which means we need another option: reusable bags! If every household used one or two fewer plastic grocery bags each week—and instead brought their own reusable bags with them when they go shopping—we'd cut our overall use of disposable plastics by hundreds of thousands annually!
Biodegradable plastic is not the same thing as compostable plastic, which can be broken down by microorganisms and returned to the soil. Biodegradable plastic is made from corn, while compostable plastics are generally made from polylactic acid (PLA). Biodegradable plastics take a long time to break down and are not biocompatible, meaning they don't interact with living things in a way that's beneficial for either side. Recycling these materials isn't an option either—they're often classified as "non-recyclables," so you shouldn't put them in your recycling bin anyway.
No, you can't put biodegradable plastic in the compost. Biodegradable plastics are not compostable or recyclable and should never be placed in the recycling or trash bins. Just because a bag says "biodegradable" doesn't mean it's good for you or the environment—it just means it will decompose faster than regular plastic bags.
According to [the Association of Postconsumer Plastic Recyclers](https://www.recyclenow.org/learn-more/what-is/composting), “the term ‘biodegradable’ refers specifically to materials that will break down into smaller pieces without leaving any toxic residue." This does not mean that these materials are safe for use as food packaging or carry out bags! In fact, many bioplastics contain additives such as corn starch and nylon 6 (a type of plastic) which make them even less suitable for use as food packaging than standard plastics
The best way to cut down on our plastic use is to reduce the amount of single-use plastic we buy in the first place. Use reusable bags when you go shopping, and avoid buying food in branded packaging. If you do find yourself with a bunch of plastic containers, jars or bottles that need storing, reuse them as much as possible before recycling them. Alternatively, consider reusing old tins and glass jars for storing food — they’re a great alternative to plastic containers!
It’s clear that biodegradable plastic isn’t the answer to our environmental problems; however, there are other ways we can reduce our impact on the planet by reducing our reliance on single-use straws, cups and bags.
Biodegradable plastic is not a perfect solution, but it's a good step. Biodegradable plastic is not compostable, so you can't put it in your backyard and leave it there. You also can't recycle biodegradable plastic bags by putting them in your recycling bin on garbage day; the sorting machines at recycling facilities won't recognize them as recyclable because they're so thin and light.
So what does this mean for consumers? It means that bioplastics are still too expensive for most people to use regularly, which means we need another option: reusable bags! If every household used one or two fewer plastic grocery bags each week—and instead brought their own reusable bags with them when they go shopping—we'd cut our overall use of disposable plastics by hundreds of thousands annually!
Biodegradable plastics are becoming an increasingly popular way to reduce our reliance on disposable plastic. But while they may be better than traditional plastic bags, they’re not the perfect solution to our problems with single-use plastics. Biodegradable plastics can take hundreds of years to decompose, which means that they’re still contributing to pollution in oceans and waterways as well as landfills.