Alternatives to plastic bags

Introduction:

A plastic bag, polybag, or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film,
nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods
such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazines, chemicals, and waste. It is a common form of
packaging. Most plastic bags are heat sealed together. Some are bonded with adhesives or are
stitched.

Uses of plastic bags in daily life:

Packages:

Bags can be made with a variety of plastics films. Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE, etc.) is the most
common. Other forms, including laminates and co-extrusions can be used when the physical
properties are needed. Plastic bags usually use less material than comparable to boxes, cartons,
or jars, thus are often considered as "reduced or minimized packaging".

Medical uses:

The non-porous quality of plastic film means that they are useful for isolating infectious body
fluids; other porous bags made of nonwoven plastics can be sterilized by gas and maintain this
sterility. They are lightweight and flexible, so they can be carried by or laid next to patients
without making the patient as uncomfortable as a heavy glass bottle would be. They are less
expensive than re-usable options, such as glass bottles. Plastic bags and plastic wrap are also
used to prevent water loss and hypothermia in very premature babies.

Plastic shopping bags:

Open bags with carrying handles are used in large numbers. Stores often provide them as a
convenience to shoppers. Some stores charge a nominal fee for a bag. Heavy-duty reusable
shopping bags are often considered environmentally better than single-use paper or plastic
shopping bags.

MANUFACTURING OF PLASTIC BAG:

Although few peer-reviewed studies or government surveys have provided estimates for global
plastic bag use, environmental activists estimate that between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic
bags are used each year worldwide.[10] In 2009, the United States International Trade
Commission reported that 102 billion plastic bags are used annually in the United States alone.
Traditional plastic bags are usually made from polyethylene, which consists of long chains of
ethylene monomers. Ethylene is derived from natural gas and petroleum. The polyethylene used
in most plastic shopping bags is either low-density (resin identification code 4) or, more often,
high-density (resin identification code 2) Color concentrates and other additives are often used
to add tint to the plastic. Plastic shopping bags are commonly manufactured by blown film
extrusion.

Why to stop using plastic bags?

A lot of energy is used in producing these bags: These bags are made out of a substance that is
called polyethylene. Polyethylene is a type of petroleum. Petroleum is a major source of our
energy, such as heating, electricity, lighting, etc. About four to five trillion plastic bags are
manufactured each year. We’re wasting all of this petroleum on plastic bags when it could be
used for more important things, like automobile gas. The sad thing is, out of 100 trillion plastic
bags, only 1% are recycled. It takes 1,000 years for plastic bags to break down, making them
non-biodegradable. Burning these bags will not help either; it will only make things worse.
When these bags are burned, it releases toxic fumes into the soil and the air.

Plastic bags do not degrade: In truth, petroleum based plastic bags never degrade. Instead of
the plastic degrading, it is broken down into small tiny pieces which are swept down and end up
in the oceans which are then consumed by wildlife. Currently, there are approximately 46,000-
1,000,000 plastic fragments floating within every square mile of the globes oceans.

Plastic bags do not only pollute our water but also our land. Plastic bags are usually
lightweight and as such, they can travel very long distances by either water or wind. Wind blows
these plastic bags and trashes a whole area. These litters gets caught up in between trees, fences
and floats in water bodies thus moving to the world’s oceans.
Plastic bags are harmful to wildlife and marine life. Birds, animals and marine life such as sea
turtles and fish often mistake the plastic bag and other plastic materials for food and consume
them. What happens once they consume these plastic materials is that their digestive system gets
congested leading to the development of health infections and death when there is suffocation.
The animals may also become easily entangled inside the plastic.

Plastic bags are harmful to human health. There are some chemicals from the plastic bags
which can disrupt the normal functioning of hormones in the body. Most plastic fragments in the
oceans like plastic bags have some pollutants such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyl) together
with PAHs (Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) which are hormone disrupting. Once the marine
animals consume these chemicals, they move through the food web then later into the humans
who consume fish together with other marine animals. The chemical materials bio-accumulates
in the sea animals and fish system as they are exposed to them in the ocean waters. When the
humans prepare them they consume all these chemicals affecting their heaths. They could
develop cancers or other serious conditions.
ALTERNATIVES TO PLASTIC BAG:

1. Paper Grocery Bags 2. Canvas Shopping Bags

3. Mesh Shopping Bags 4. Denim Shopping Bags

EG BAGS:

Plastic bags, despite being banned in certain states, continue to dominate the sales-purchase
arena. That they are a hurdle to the environmental, taking an aeon to decompose, goes without
saying.

In 2002, the Centre had banned their production to below 20 micrometers in thickness to prevent
them from clogging the municipal drainage systems. This was followed by Sikkim, Himachal
Pradesh and Goa halting production, though the thickness of the bag allowed varied from state to
state. Four years of research and development gave birth to Evergreen Biotech India Private Ltd
in 2016 in Bengaluru. The company produces100 per cent environment friendly and
biodegradable bags. These EnviGreen (EG) bags are 100 per cent organic, edible and recyclable
which will eliminate plastic from the country.EG carry bags look like plastic carry bags, but the
company claims that they don’t use even one per cent of plastic. The product is poised to hit the
Indian market in January 2017.

“We are using a patented technology using natural starch, vegetable oil derivatives and vegetable
waste,” says a company official emphasizing that the products are non-toxic to the environment,
both animals and plants. “Conventional plastic bags are toxic and harmful. EG bags can
biodegrade 100 per cent in less than 80 days.”
EG bags can burn and dissolve in water. The technology provides EG products an electric
dissipative feature (suitable for electronic wrapping) along with anti-static feature-dust repellent,
oxygen barrier-corrosion prevention, oil/grease resistance. It dissolves in hot water (80 degree
Celsius) and softens in water at room temperature. It can carry the same weight as any other
conventional bags, with the largest being able to lug 8-10 kilograms. For raw materials, the
company is procuring vegetable wastes from farmers’ associations while importing vegetable oil.
“We are buying vegetable waste directly from the farmers of Karnataka, which is highly
profitable and a great source of alternate income for the farmers,” says official.

Apart from carry bags, the company is also manufacturing trash bags, oil and grease sachets, bin
liners, packaging films, aprons wrapping covers, laundry bag, hotel guest kits. Only one
drawback -- they cannot carry liquids and semi-liquids. The EG products have been tested by
government approved labs in India and internationally. Karnataka State Pollution Control Board,
Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology, Sriram Institute for Industrial Research
have given them the green signal.

BIODEGRADABLE BAGS:

These are made of starch from maize, are likely to replace regular polythene bags. After
imposing effective ban on usage of plastic bags, government has been looking for a substitute.
According to officials, biodegradable bags look to be the best available option which if
swallowed, would not harm animals, too. "We are looking into alternatives that would be eco-
friendly and easy on the pocket of consumers. Among few options, biodegradable bags fit best
into our requirements "said an official from environment department.

Bag that government is planning to introduce will be made from natural starch-based products
including maize. Several field tests have found that they are sturdy and a single average size
carry bag may cost Rs 0.50 to Rs1 more than the plastic bag. According to officials, these bags
already are in use in some part of the country including Madhya Pradesh where plastic bags too
have been banned recently. "There are producers who can supply biodegradable bags to us
though none of them are based in Rajasthan. We expect once it will get in use, new players will
enter in the market and eventually bring down the cost too," added the official.
ENERGY SYSTEM AND DESIGN
ASSIGNMENT NO.01
Name – Prakash Borana
Roll No. – 05
Class – BE Chemical
ENERGY SYSTEM AND DESIGN
ASSIGNMENT NO.03
Name – Prakash Borana
Roll No. – 05
Class – BE Chemical