What Are Environmentally Friendly Bags?

The Good and Bad of Plastic Bags

• Plastic bags are a true environmental hazard when they are disposed of in landfills or are left on the side of the road. The bags break down under sunlight into smaller and smaller plastic pieces that eventually contaminate soil, waterways and the animals who eat and drink from both. Additionally, the process of creating new plastic bags is heavily dependent on petroleum, a non-renewable resource. The good news about plastic bags is they can be recycled, though often not through your curbside recycling program. Many grocery stores and other business will accept used plastic bags for recycling. The plastics industry is eager to receive recycled bags as the demand for more environmentally friendly packaging continues to grow.

The Good and Bad of Paper Bags

• Paper bags might seem like a good alternative to plastic bags, and in many ways, given the two options, paper is the more environmentally friendly choice. Paper bags are biodegradable or can be reused in creative ways, such as using them for wrapping paper you can decorate or adding to them to your compost bin. However, paper bags are made of valuable timber resources and, due to their bulk, transporting paper bags around the country actually requires more energy and fuel consumption than transporting plastic bags. Additionally, recycling paper bags requires more energy than the process for recycling plastic bags.

Go Strong and Sturdy

• Canvas bags are a good choice when looking for an environmentally friendly bag. Canvas bags are durable and washable. You can use the same bag for years in some cases, reducing both the amount of plastic and paper bags you bring home from the grocery store or other retail stores. Many people only think of bringing their canvas bags to the grocery store, but if you keep one folded in your car you can use it when shopping anywhere.

Beyond the Grocery Store

• Environmentally friendly laptop bags, purses and backpacks are also rising in popularity. In these cases, the term environmentally friendly likely refers to the bag being made from recycled materials, such as recycled plastics. Some manufacturers also offer products which create a low carbon footprint during the manufacturing process. If you see a bag labeled as environmentally friendly look for more details on the bag's tag or by researching the manufacturer to determine what exactly is meant by the label.