Celebrate Plastic Bag Free Day: 5 Alternatives to Plastic Bags

This coming Sunday, on July 3, we’ll be celebrating Plastic Bag Free Day – on this day we raise awareness of the importance of using environmentally friendly materials and warn of the dangers of plastic. Plastic bags are extremely difficult to recycle, and most spend the next three hundred years in landfills until they break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.

But the problems with plastic waste begin long before they break down. Our planet is becoming increasingly polluted with our unnecessary use of plastic bags – large black garbage bags, plastic shopping bags with advertising logos, transparent sandwich bags and many other shapes that pollute our environment. They are light, convenient and easy to dispose of. Too easy to dispose of, actually.

Over the past few decades, their use has increased at an alarming rate, and today, plastic bags can be seen on tree branches, on windy days in the air, among bushes and in rivers. At the same time, they clog gutters and drains, causing water and sewage to overflow and become a breeding ground for disease-causing bacteria. Our planet has been calling for help for too long.

5 Environmentally Friendly Alternatives to Plastic Bags

Plastic production creates a large carbon footprint and pollutes soil and water. Plastic never disappears, it spreads into small pieces that pollute the ocean and land. These microbeads have a direct impact on our health as they also enter the food chain. Plastic bags are never recycled, and the cost of recycling them is higher than the cost of producing them. This is exactly why they land in incinerators and in our landfills, where they have been polluting the Earth for millions of years!

Here is a list of five alternative environmentally friendly materials.

Cotton

Cotton bags are much more durable than plastic bags. They are easy to wash, so you can reuse them and avoid hundreds and thousands of plastic bags. They also use less water, energy and oil and have less impact on air pollution. They are also involved in keeping the oceans clean and rescuing wildlife, the first victims of plastic bags.

Compared to plastic bags, cotton bags are also more durable – they rarely tear, so they have a much longer lifespan. By doing so, the consumer not only contributes to a cleaner environment, but also spends less money.

Cork

The production of cork – especially compared to leather – is much less harmful to our planet. Mining or processing produces a minimal amount of waste and does not contribute to air or water pollution.

It is true that some wastewater is produced during production, but given that nothing is needed to treat it (unlike chemicals such as cyanide and chromium used in tanning leather), it can be returned to the ground without damage.

Even when waste cork is produced, it can be reused by other industries. If this does not happen, this material can be returned to the soil because it is 100% biodegradable and compostable.

Bamboo

In addition to being a widespread and hardy plant, bamboo is also one of the fastest growing plants known to man. Because it grows quickly, bamboo is easily replanted. This means that growing bamboo for use in commercial products does not have a negative impact on the environment. Due to their short life cycle, they are ideal for harvesting and use in sustainable products.

Bamboo bags are an environmentally friendly and sustainable choice. They are soft, but also strong and can withstand heavy loads. They are convenient because you can wrap them for easy storage, and you can also use them every day.

Hemp

Hemp as a material can be easily recycled, which would make the transition from plastic to hemp material have a positive lasting effect on the oceans, landfills and pollution. Of course, this property is the most important from a sustainable point of view – but in addition, this material is also five times harder and three times stronger than ordinary plastic.

These lasting properties of cannabis lead to less production of products, which saves a considerable amount of energy. Hemp is also very resistant to heat, which makes it excellent for culinary use.

To make generic plastics, manufacturers use fossil fuels that release carbon dioxide during the manufacturing process. This causes greenhouse gases and eventually global warming. In contrast, the production of cannabis bags is more environmentally friendly, as it does not emit carbon dioxide, but traps it and even converts it into oxygen!

Jute

Jute is considered an extremely strong and durable material, as it withstands friction and weight. This is why a jute bag is ideal for shopping, visiting the beach, or carrying heavy cans and bottles. Jute is extremely durable especially compared to the materials listed above – the part of the jute plant used in textiles is the fibers found in the plant itself, and not the soft part of the seed of the cotton plant. Therefore, it makes sense that jute can be used to create a much more durable material.

In addition to using very intensive agricultural methods, jute actually benefits the environment significantly. In addition to being completely biodegradable, it releases oxygen and absorbs impressive amounts of carbon dioxide. By doing so, jute actually enriches the soil.