When we go to the grocery store, we are faced with many choices, not the least of which is which type of bag to choose. Should we choose paper or should we choose plastic? Lately plastic bags are the subject of much scrutiny, and many environmental groups have worked tirelessly to ban these bags from our stores. Some cities and even countries have passed laws against these bags. Before you decide which way to lean, it is good to understand some background information about these bags.
These bags are made out of plastic, a type of plastic called high-density polyethylene or HDPE for short. One controversy surrounding these bags is that they are produced using two important natural resources, petroleum and natural gas. However, it is noteworthy that the bags are not created from the actual petroleum or gas but from a waste product that is created when we refine these elements for use in running our vehicles and heating our homes.
You might have heard that in order to create or produce. our yearly supply of lightweight HDPE bags, we must use 12 million barrels of oil and this is absolutely true. However, it is also true that the daily usage of oil in the United States is in excess of 18 million barrels. So we use about 6,570,000,000 gallons of oil each year in the U.S., but only 12 million gallons are used to produce plastic bags. This accounts for far less than one percent of our total oil use.
Plastic bags are certainly not the only item out there that is produced using this HDPE plastic. Most of our milk jugs around the world, even in countries that have banned plastic bags, are created using HDPE. In addition, this plastic is used to produce food storage containers, snowboard parts, plastic furniture and even those fun banners that we hang up at kids' soccer games and baseball games. HDPE can be recycled again and again, so while it is not biodegradable, it is renewable if people choose to make an effort to recycle.
HDPE is a type of plastic that is known as thermoplastic. This means that items created from HDPE begin with a sheet of thin plastic, which is heated and molded to create a specific shape. It can be molded to fit just about any shape and because it is highly resistant to chemicals, it provides safe storage for a variety of cleaners and detergents.
It is true that few thermoform plastics are actually able to degrade. However, they can be recycled, and most plastics can be melted down infinitely to create new bags, new water bottles and much more. HDPE is just one type of thermoplastic, but there are many more, such as acrylic and plastics with brand names such as Lucite, Styrofoam, Teflon and Mylar.
These bags are made out of plastic, a type of plastic called high-density polyethylene or HDPE for short. One controversy surrounding these bags is that they are produced using two important natural resources, petroleum and natural gas. However, it is noteworthy that the bags are not created from the actual petroleum or gas but from a waste product that is created when we refine these elements for use in running our vehicles and heating our homes.
You might have heard that in order to create or produce. our yearly supply of lightweight HDPE bags, we must use 12 million barrels of oil and this is absolutely true. However, it is also true that the daily usage of oil in the United States is in excess of 18 million barrels. So we use about 6,570,000,000 gallons of oil each year in the U.S., but only 12 million gallons are used to produce plastic bags. This accounts for far less than one percent of our total oil use.
Plastic bags are certainly not the only item out there that is produced using this HDPE plastic. Most of our milk jugs around the world, even in countries that have banned plastic bags, are created using HDPE. In addition, this plastic is used to produce food storage containers, snowboard parts, plastic furniture and even those fun banners that we hang up at kids' soccer games and baseball games. HDPE can be recycled again and again, so while it is not biodegradable, it is renewable if people choose to make an effort to recycle.
HDPE is a type of plastic that is known as thermoplastic. This means that items created from HDPE begin with a sheet of thin plastic, which is heated and molded to create a specific shape. It can be molded to fit just about any shape and because it is highly resistant to chemicals, it provides safe storage for a variety of cleaners and detergents.
It is true that few thermoform plastics are actually able to degrade. However, they can be recycled, and most plastics can be melted down infinitely to create new bags, new water bottles and much more. HDPE is just one type of thermoplastic, but there are many more, such as acrylic and plastics with brand names such as Lucite, Styrofoam, Teflon and Mylar.
About the Author:
Lenna Stockwell loves blogging about how stuff is made. For further information about custom packaging solutions or to find out more about product packaging design, please visit the Indepak website today.
No comments:
Post a Comment