These days, environmental issues are important to everyone. To help you do your part, we are now offering 100% Biodegradable bags.

Our biodegradable bags break down completely when in contact with other decomposing materials, whether in compost bins, landfills, or just buried in the ground. Also, these bags can be recycled along with regular plastic bags. Unlike popular starch based compostable bags, these bags won't start degrading in the presence of oxygen, heat, or sunlight, so they can also be reused until no longer serviceable.

The best part is that any bag we make can be produced as biodegradable.

Biodegradable and/or Compostable

These words are used a lot these days, but they aren't interchangeable. They mean completely different things. Composting is a method of biodegradation. Biodegradable means just that – something that biodegrades under any condition.

Compostable bags are made of Polylactic Acid (PLA), a starch based polymer made from corn and other food crops. PLA is engineered to decompose in conditions found at municipal composting facilities, and won't break down in backyard compost bins, landfills or when littered. In addition to this, compostable plastic can't be recycled. The ONLY way to properly dispose of compostable plastic bags is by sending them to municipal composting facilities. These facilities don't exist in many communities.

How it works

Biodegradable bags made by American Plastic are made using traditional plastic resins combined with an additive from ECM Biofilms (www.ecmbiofilms.com) that will break down into common elements found in the soil. This biodegrading starts when the plastic is in contact with other elements that are decomposing – in landfills, compost bins, or just buried in the ground. Most importantly, these bags can also be recycled along with other non-biodegradable plastic bags.

Benefits of biodegradable plastic bags

100% Biodegradable

If not recycled, these bags will start breaking down within 9 months, and completely biodegrade within a few years. The process starts when bags are in contact with other decomposing materials.

Recyclable

Biodegradable bags can be recycled just like any other HDPE and LDPE plastic bags. Many cities have recycling programs that will take these bags, and most supermarkets also have a bag recycling program.

Reusable

The biodegradation of these bags requires the presence of other decomposing materials, therefore they won't won't degrade when exposed to sunlight, heat, or oxygen like PLA compostable plastic.

What about paper bags?

When comparing plastic and paper bags, plastic always comes out on top. This has been shown in study after study. Here are a few facts.

• Paper bags require 4-5 times more energy to produce than plastic
• Paper bags are responsible for 70% more air pollution and 50 times more water pollution than plastic
• Plastic bags are lighter than paper, requiring far less energy to transport
• Plastic bags generate 80% less solid waste than paper
• Recycling plastic requires 91% less energy than paper
• The manufacture of paper bags uses 40% more energy than plastic bags

Do biodegradable bags cost more?

The price increase varies depending on the size of the bag, and the size of the order. Making bags biodegradable generally increases cost between 10% and 20%.

More information about the technology

For more information about the additives used in our biodegradable bags, please visit ECM BioFilms at www.ecmbiofilms.com.