Eco-friendly trash bags: Better for you and the planet
Posted by COOL GADGET
Plastic garbage bags have caused harm to the soil, ocean, and environment for centuries. While many people have tried to reduce their carbon footprint and try out other things to help the environment, letting go of plastic trash bags has been difficult. However, trash bags are an everyday necessity, which is why eco-friendly trash bags were created. These trash bags can help alleviate the harmful effects of plastic trash bags with consistent use.
Why Does it Matter if You Use Eco-Friendly trash bags?
Plastic bags have caused immeasurable damage to the environment, the ocean, and its animals, and in a bid to reduce their effect, biodegradable plastic bags and compostable trash bags came into the picture. Unfortunately, plastic trash bags take about 300 years to degrade, and about 98% of them turn into toxic microplastics as time goes on. These poisonous microplastics end up in our waterways, soil, and, eventually, our food chain because animals end up eating them.
Studies have shown that 80% of water pollution around the globe comes from plastic waste. Also, 267 species of ocean life are affected negatively, while some are killed every day. This negative impact will continue to grow worse every day if more people do not act and let go of little things like plastic trash bags.
One of the best ways to play your part in protecting the environment is to completely give up the use of plastic trash bags or at least switch to an environmentally friendly plastic bag. Eco-friendly trash bags are bio-degradable, so they do not create greenhouse gases or release harmful chemicals into the environment. These little changes go a long way in changing the environment more than you think.
Best Eco-Friendly Trash Bag
To reduce the effects of harmful microplastics on the environment, switch to biodegradable trash bags like the Cool Gadget 100% Biodegradable Cornstarch Trash Bags instead. A ton of research and experiments have been carried out to prove that these bags are entirely biodegradable after 180 days. Compared to 300 years and the level of harm plastics cause, switching to this trash bag is completely worth it.
To reduce the effects of harmful microplastics on the environment, switch to biodegradable trash bags like the Cool Gadget 100% Biodegradable Cornstarch Trash Bags instead. A ton of research and experiments have been carried out to prove that these bags are entirely biodegradable after 180 days. Compared to 300 years and the level of harm plastics cause, switching to this trash bag is completely worth it.
Our natural compostable eco-friendly trash bag is made out of corn starch and is an excellent alternative to regular plastic bags. They are lightweight, highly functional, and help with reducing your carbon footprint. The bags look, feel, and function like your traditional plastic trash bags; the only difference is that they can be degraded by the soil rather than harming it.
As the bags decompose, they act as a nutrient for the soil, promoting the production of cleaner, greener, and whole foods. In addition, the biodegradable corn starch trash bag comes in a size that is bigger than that of your regular trash bags. It comes in a 13-gallon extra-large size, allowing you to use it longer because it can hold way more trash.
Biodegradable Trash Bags
Biodegradable trash bags are trash bags made with materials that break down quickly. They are a blend of your standard plastics and materials that can help speed up their breakdown process. So, when you throw your biodegradable plastic bags away, it breaks down naturally, and this has no adverse effect on the environment or water bodies.
The difference between biodegradable trash bags and regular plastic is that plastic does not break down naturally. Although the breakdown process of biodegradable bags is not swift, it will not take as long as a regular plastic garbage bag. The bag breaks down into either water, biomass, or carbon dioxide- all environment and plant-life friendly.
Changing your trash bags to biodegradable ones is the easiest way to start living an environmentally conscious life. Biodegradable and compostable are two different things, even though many people interchange them. You cannot put all biodegradable bags in your compost bin.
Compostable Trash Bags
Compostable trash bags take biodegradable a step further by being made out of completely natural plant starch like corn starch! As a result, they are free of toxins and very environmentally friendly because when they break down, they form compost. Composting is a natural process that turns the trash bag into mulch or nutrient-rich plant food.
In an industrial compost facility, compostable plastic bags will break down in at least 84 days, about 3 months. Compared to 300 years, the breaking down of compostable trash bags is super-fast.
The difference between biodegradable garbage bags and compostable trash bags is simply the materials they are made of. One is made of completely natural plant by-products while the other one is not.
How to properly recycle plastic bags (even if they are eco-friendly plastic bags)
1. The most helpful thing you can do for the environment is to recycle and repurpose your garbage bags. Compostable trash/garbage bags, for instance, can be used to line plant pots or pre-plant seedlings because they’ll end up becoming nutrients for the plants.
2. You can also reuse and recycle your eco-friendly plastic bags when you’re moving. They are strong enough to carry some slightly weighted items and strong enough to be used even as shoe liners.
3. The best way to properly recycle your plastic bags is by gathering them and actively reusing them. First, check to see if there is any plastic drop-off point around you and drop them there after you’ve accumulated at least 30 to 50 of them. When you recycle your plastic bags properly, you reduce your footprint and save the environment in your own way.
In conclusion, your journey to saving the environment and everything in it starts with your biodegradable garbage bag. The best compostable plastic bags cost slightly more than regular trash bags, but they are worth every dime and are an excellent alternative.
FAQs about Eco-friendly Trash Bags
What is an eco-friendly alternative to trash bags?
1. Eco-friendly cloth bags.
The environmental cloth bag is made of non-woven or other biodegradable materials, which can replace plastic bags and reduce white pollution. There are many environmentally friendly cloth bags, such as non-woven bags, paper bags, cotton bags, and so on. Environmental protection cloth bags have the characteristics of being reusable after washing, large capacity, biodegradable, convenient, and practical.
2. Handheld mesh bag
The handheld mesh pocket is a kind of net-like bag made of cotton thread, linen thread, silk thread, etc., which can be used to hold fruits, vegetables, food, etc. A portable net bag has the characteristics of being reusable, good-looking, large-capacity, and biodegradable.
3. Old Newspapers
Old newspaper is a biodegradable paper material that can be decomposed by microorganisms in nature and will not cause white pollution. However, it is important to know that used newspaper is only suitable for domestic waste without water. You may want to know how to make plastic garbage bags from used newspapers.
4. Biodegradable plastic bags
Biodegradable plastic bags will be broken down by microorganisms into carbon dioxide, water, and inorganic salts in nature or under specific conditions. Biodegradable plastic bags can contain household waste with water and are one of the best environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic garbage bags.
Which trash bags are best for the environment?
The best way for the environment is to minimize the use of garbage bags, or even not to use them. This is because any kind of garbage bag will have some impact on the environment. There are several common garbage bags on the market today:
- Traditional plastic bags: made from fossil fuels, not easy to degrade, pollute the environment, and increase greenhouse gases.
- Biodegradable plastic bags: made from biological or fossil resources, can be decomposed into less harmful substances, saving resources and energy. But the definition and standards are not uniform, may become microplastics, take up agricultural land and food, and use chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
- Paper garbage bags: made of pulp or waste paper, can be degraded or recycled. But consumes water and wood, emits harmful substances, and has poor strength and water resistance.
To sum up, no garbage bag is completely harmless. So, the best thing to do is to avoid using garbage bags as much as possible. Of course, I know very few people can do this, but what we can do is to choose reusable, recyclable and fully degradable garbage bags, and to sort and dispose of our garbage in the right way.
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