When you go to the grocery store and hear “Paper or plastic,” choosing is not so easy as it may seem. Some of us are thrown into a state of drastic indecision that results in the bagger grabbing whichever one he is closest to.
Plastic bags often get a bad rap, with charges against them that they take much longer to decompose than paper, and that they can kill turtles in the Pacific that mistake them for food. Many states have begun taxing for the use of plastic bags. San Francisco has banned plastic bags altogether. But jettisoning plastic isn’t necessarily the best choice for the planet.
Paper can sometimes take just as long to decompose in landfills due to a lack of sunlight, water and oxygen. The energy required to produce paper bags is much greater - poly bags use 71% less. Plus, millions of acres of trees are cut down to produce them, allowing for less CO2 to be absorbed from the atmosphere.
So what’s the answer? Reusable bags are best. All of the stuff that you’re carrying in the bag, you could probably do without. It doesn’t really matter whether you choose paper or plastic, just be conscious of how much you use, and recycle when you’re done.
As you may have noticed from reading our blog or website, we feel the possibilities with plastic bags are endless. They are literally everywhere. The average American uses 300 to 700 plastic bags a year. Some of us even have drawers dedicated specifically to hold these handy bags. It’s safe to say that everyone knows what a plastic bag is, what it’s used for, and where to get them, but hardly anyone knows how these beauties are made.
They are made from granules of linear polyethelene, melted down and blended to a smooth homogenous mixture, and after a long, process, are turned into the bags we know and love. Watch this mesmerizing video from the Discovery Channel show, How It’s Made, in which they go behind the scenes of bag production.
According research by the WorldWatch Institute, somewhere between 500 billion and a trillion plastic grocery bags are used each year. Anyone who has ever used a plastic bag, knows why the number is so big—they’re available everywhere and they’re handy. In honor of Earth Day this week, we are sharing 3 crafty recycling projects using bread bags, plastic bags, and newspaper bags—basically if you have poly bags, you can make something useful.With these instructional videos you can make something you, your friends, and even your pets! Check them out and be amazed at the versatility of the mere plastic bag.
If you frequent our blog, you’ve probably heard us mention poly bags once or twice…or 500 times. We can’t help it! We love plastic bags and want to share the convenience of poly bags with the world. But unless you’re as obsessed with poly bags as we are, you probably are a little unsure as to what the “poly” in bags means. It actually refers to polyethylene and polypropylene.
Polyethylene
The sturdier of the two “polys”, polyethylene is a type of polymer that is classified as a thermoplastic. This means that it can be melted into a liquid as it returns to a solid state. It is a found in many household items such as food wrap, shampoo bottles, milk jugs, toys, and our favorite—plastic bags! In addition to these handy household items, polyethylene is used in products that contain plastic components like artificial knee and hip replacement parts, bulletproof vests, and even the flooring for ice skating rinks.
Polypropylene
The melting point for polypropylene is much higher than other plastics, so it is often used in products that are dishwasher or microwave safe. Polypropylene is the more durable of the two plastics and is used in heavy-duty industrial plastic bags, as well as plastic hinges, or tops for travel mugs. It is very easy to add dyes to and is often used as fiber in carpeting.
If you aren’t already aware, Poly bags are a great way to get your name out in a functional and highly creative way. Other forms of print advertising have to work a lot harder to get attention, because you’re putting your information on an item that they don’t really need. A postcard or door hanger is more of an annoyance for most customers, even though they have been proven effective at getting attention.
Putting your logo on poly bags is smart advertising because you’re putting the brand on something useful. Think about how much we reuse poly bags, long after the store. They are extremely functional. Another plus to poly bags is that when people carry them around, others see the logo and gets it in their head. If it’s a really creative and eye-catching logo, people who are unfamiliar with your store will inquire about it, thus producing more potential customers.
I experienced that first-hand last night when I came back from the new market that opened up by my apartment. I had three people on the way home notice my plastic bags and the new logo on them, and ask where the store was. I was happy to point them in the direction of my new favorite market.
If you want to increase brand awareness, be sure to look into customizable plastic bags from Excellent Poly.
Where would the world be without plastic bags? We’d be living in the middle ages! Newspaper bags wouldn’t exist, so to read the paper we would have to buy it at the grocery store. Talk about inconvenient. Bread would come in paper bags and go stale in no time without plastic bread bags. No plastic garbage bags means that we would have a giant landfill in our backyards, or we would have to deal with the paper bags spilling and ripping, overflowing and tearing. It's obvious that paper can’t beat plastic.
Thankfully we don’t live in that kind of world. Newspaper boys throw the newspapers on our doorsteps in newspaper bags. Bread stays fresh with the little ties on plastic bags. I can take out the garbage and not have to worry about getting my feet covered in eggshells and last night’s Chinese food. Plastic bags are even customizable, making the world of poly bags more diverse and interesting.
Companies like Excellent Poly Bags are leaders in the field of plastic bag distribution. They customize poly bags and are furthering plastic bag technology. So talk to them about your plastic bag needs and thank your lucky stars we don’t live in a world without plastic bags.
Poly bags are made from crude oil and natural gas, and the process itself is often called the “tubular film process.” The polythene melt is blown into an annular tube, where air is blown to make the melt swell. The hot plastic is blown with more air to cool it. The plastic film is cooled and flattened with rollers and either kept like that or slits are cut into it. If it is kept flat, the film is sealed with another sheet of film or cut to make a bag with one side left unsealed for the opening.
One of the most interesting things about making poly bags is that there are so many different options in how they result that the choices are almost endless. From wicketed bags to newspaper bags, header bags and bread bags to plastic bags and staple bags, there are poly bags for anything! And if you want to advertise on your poly bags, it’s easier said than done. You can choose a range of colors that will attract the eye and make your plastic bags the cat’s meow. So if you run a small business and need some plastic bags, don’t just settle, get some poly bags that will bring you a return.
When you go to the grocery store and hear “Paper or plastic,” choosing is not so easy as it may seem. Some of us are thrown into a state of drastic indecision that results in the bagger grabbing whichever one he is closest to.
