Your Guide to Reusable 'Green Shopping Bags' and Biodegradable Bags

Choose the right bag for the environment, the right bag for the future.

Which Reusable 'Green Bag' Will Last the Longest?

Which Reusable 'Green Bag' is Best For the Environment?

The commonly available non woven plastic 'green' shopping bags are claimed to have a life span of 2-3 years (1,2,8). On the other hand cotton or calico bags, and also hessian or jute bags, usually are considered to have an estimated life of 1 year(2,3), though some say they may last longer (1).

The question of which shopping bag is best for the environment is rather complex. There are various issues involved here including (2,4,5,6):

• Biodegradability - this embraces biodegradability and bioerodability in both soil and water.

• Toxic byproducts - does the bag leave toxic residues?

• Production and energy costs - is the material costly to produce in terms of energy and resources?

• Transport costs - more bulky materials are more costly to store and transport.

This guide will be confined predominantly to the first two items concerning biodegradability and residues.

Ideally a reusable shopping bag will completely and rapidly breakdown in either soil or water and leave no toxic residues. The commonly used polypropylene plastic 'green' shopping bag is less than ideal in these respects since it is slow to breakdown and may leave toxic residues, facts which have led to warnings about the use of this type of bag (7). In contrast with these popular plastic non woven bags, cotton or calico bags and hessian or jute bags are more readily biodegradable. While it is estimated that calico bags will completely break down in 2 years (2) plastic 'green' non woven bags on the other hand, may take 5 years to breakdown (2). But even when plastic bags do eventually 'breakdown' they may have simply broken down into thousands of smaller pieces of plastic (8,9,10,11). It is often stated however, that the disadvantage of cotton based bags relates to the high consumption of water and pesticides by cotton growers (1,5,8).

Other environmentally friendly options for reusable bags include hessian or jute bags, and string or sisal bags(5).

Reusable Eco-friendly 'Green' Shopping Bags

Which Reusable Shopping Bag is Best for You?

From an environmental viewpoint the natural fibres such as cotton, hessian and jute (see jute page) are superior to reusable plastics. The packaging industry is still awaiting the development of truly compostable biodegradable non toxic plastics.

If the lifespan and useability of the bag is the primary consideration then polypropylene non woven plastic bags are indeed difficult to beat. Their lifespan, strength, and resistance to liquids, make these bags a very attractive option for many.

If cost is the bottom line for you then once again the 'green' non woven plastic bag is a clear winner. Although the cost of the calico bag compares with the cost of the 'green' plastic bag, the longer life of the latter bag clearly offers significant financial advantages.