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Polythene Products
Greener Polythene
Plastic bags have had a bad press recently with Government driven campaigns targeting the millions used in supermarkets, many of which are not disposed of responsibly and with due care, causing a percentage to end their life in the sea or on hedges etc, this has unsightly and undesirable effects on the environment. This of course is not the fault of the humble plastic bag if it is being discarded by users after one use.
Of course every bag has the potential to be recycled on one or more occasions, but it needs to be in the hands of responsible, environmentally aware individuals who make the effort to RE-USE it as many times as possible! Polyethylene is a stable compound that is non toxic.
The bulk of supermarket carriers are made from extra thin High-Density PE and are imported from the far east with accompanying negative carbon footprint.
If you purchase a DURASAK carrier they are manufactured in
As of January 2008 all our Printed Carrier Bags are degradable – these are suitable for carriers that are needed with a shorter life-span and will commence to degrade in daylight and not just when in contact with certain bacteria.
As of March 2008 we were able to supply carrier bags with recycled content and substantial enough for multi-trip RE-USE.
For information on the polythene debate click the following links (NB-not all are
A For/Against debate at The Telegraph website and lots of information to consider along with related links at The Carrier Bag Consortium.
Side by side comparisons and other related links :
Degradable
To cause this compound to degrade a special masterbatch polymer is added and blends with the base PE. The addition of this polybatch will produce a photo chemically & thermally degradable film. The recommended shelf life if stored indoors is 6 months - therefore this should not be used for long-term stock holding purposes. Once exposed to UV light the polyethylene starts to degrade and continues even when out of UV light (with thermal factors also contributing to this process)
Bio-degradable
When Polyethylene degrades down to a fine powder the bio degradable process kicks in, the final results being carbon dioxide gas and water plus minute amounts of inert mineral material which is non-toxic. All degraded polyethylene residues are non toxic.
Subject: Boring Polythene. Updated 01/03/2011
"Today someone commented to me that polythene is boring - I had to agree but you know with all the flak that polythene has been taking recently with regard to it somehow being environmentally unfriendly & therefore it is not 'de riguer' to be seen lugging your shopping around in thin polythene bags, but wait a minute, is it as simple as that just because polythene is not re-used or disposed of responsibly is it the fault of the bag or the individual who throws it carelessly in the open countryside, the sea or the road etc. Someone also stated they had learnt that the so called GREEN Jute bags that cost a lot, also cost the environment much more in pollution terms to manufacture than the much derided polybag.
Lets be positive about the UK made polythene bags: They are:
NO/LOW COST - STRONG - THIN & LIGHTWEIGHT - PROVIDE GOOD PROTECTION FROM RAIN/MOISTURE - CAN BE RE-USED TIME AND AGAIN - MANY ARE MADE FROM RECYCLED MATERIAL.
Recycled polythene is ideal for weather protection of pallets of foodstuffs & other perishable items providing the protective layer that paper or other man-made protective products just cannot."
