As the plastic bags became cheaper, we ended up with the situation we have today. In fact, billions of plastic bags discarded that won’t break down in the environment. Generally plastic bags are made from Polyethylene. Not only are there issues with the rate at which these bags breakdown, but the chemicals released as part of the decomposition process; organo-chlorine (highly toxic), methane and nitrous oxide.

There are alternatives. Natur-Tec is an environmentally-friendly company gives solutions to traditional plastic bags. It is a biobased, fully biodegradable and compostable to traditional plastic products.

Oxo-biodegradable plastic: Oxo-biodegradable plastic is still made from petroleum by-products, but doesn’t give off the above toxins. Bacteria break down the plastic into CO2, water, and humus.

Multi-use bags: Of course, the best bags are the ones made from organic materials that you can reuse. A huge industry has started up in the production of reusable bags, but unfortunately, many of these products are only good for so many uses and then they are discarded.

Compostable bags: Less than 2% of plastic bags ever get recycled. Natur-Tec manufactures biobased, biodegradable and compostable bags that help reduce the amount plastic in landfills. When disposed of in a compost bin, these bags will biodegrade in as little as 30-60 days in composting conditions.