The number of plastic carrier bags has increased due to sales in the past few years, leading to intense pollution with plastic waste. The increase in waste led to the formation of bottle depots to collect all the recyclable materials by themselves or availing the service of bottle drives in Calgary or near you. In 2015 it became mandatory for almost every retail outlet to charge for single-use carrier bags. This led to the introduction of ‘bags for life’ carrier bags into the market. The government believed that this step caused a decrease in the pollution caused by the carrier bags and litter associated with them by motivating people to reuse bags. You can avail of the facility of bottle drives in Calgary or wherever you live to send your recyclable items to a safe spot.
Typical bags available at retail outlets
There are many carrier bags available in the market intended for single-time use. They maybe are recycled or freshly made. It is beneficial to send the used bags to the bottle return depot by availing a bottle pick up in Calgary or elsewhere. Some of them are mentioned below
- HDPE carrier bag
- LDPE carrier bag (it can be used at least four times)
- PP bag (can be used up to 11 times)
- Cotton bags (can be used up to 131 times)
Sustainable, According To The Danish Environmental Agency
Technical University of Denmark’s Environment Department completed a study for the Danish Environmental Protection Agency in which they have made calculations based on lifecycle assessment. And they found out that bags made up of low-density polyethylene have the most negligible impact, and the rest were explained by indicating how many times the alternatives to LDPE bags need to be recycled.
All the processes that the bags have undergone are counted, such as manufacturing and disposal of bags. After using the bags, it is necessary to send the waste bags to a return-it bottle depot in Calgary or wherever you live rather than dumping them off in landfills. These bags have been analyzed based on 15 different impact indicators, including their influence on climate change, ozone formation, freshwater eutrophication, risk of cancer, consumption of resources, and pollution.
LDPE bags
According to their study, the carrier bags made up of LDPE had a less environmental impact. It is used only once to bring groceries and later as a household trash bag.
Cotton bags
cotton bags need to be recycled 7100 times for shopping and 20,000 times for organic cotton.
Plastic bags
Plastic bags made up of biomaterials, which are later used as trash bags and then incinerated or sent to a bottle return depot in Calgary or elsewhere, must be recycled 42 times before reaching environmental damage at the same level as LDPE bags.
Renewable PP bags
Bags made up of renewable PP should be recycled 45 times to cause an environmental impact, like LDPE bags.
Paper bags
Paper is just as good for the climate and environment as that LDPE bags.
Eco-friendly carrier bags
Eco-friendly carrier bags include bags that are made up of starch and sugar cane. They are perfect for low to middle-volume users, and they have slightly different textures but can bear a vibrant and classy print on them.
- Starch carrier bags are fully compostable and can be dumped in your garden or trash piles.
- Sugar cane carrier bags are fully recyclable.
These bags are solid, suitable for multiple uses, and can be used for every product without deterioration. Bags can quickly be sent to the return-it bottle depot in Calgary or near you to sort them responsibly.
Conclusion
Reusable and paper carrier bags have a high environmental cost. Plastic carrier bags have tremendous adverse effects after use, so it is hard to determine the more sustainable load. Plastic bags and other things like bottles, papers, and tins should be properly sent to the bottle return depot in Calgary or wherever you live. It is evident through every study, and even for every type of bag, the more you use it, the lesser impact it has on the environment. It would help if you made an effort to reuse your bag and dispose of it responsibly to ensure a healthy environment. You can contact a bottle depot in Calgary or wherever you live to ask if they also collect carrier bags and hand extra ones to them. Get your plastic bags recycled at a proper place, like a bottle recycling depot, to ensure appropriate disposal of your waste products.
