See how EconoGreen Plastics™ stacks up against three of the most common types of bags on the market today.
| Type |
Standard plastic bags |
Compostable
bio-based bags |
Paper bags |
EconoGreen Plastics™ bags |
| Made from… |
Pure plastic (polyethylene). |
Biodegradable polyester with starch. |
Wood or recycled paper. |
100% recycled plastic + EconoGreen Plastics™ additive that makes the plastic degrade. |
Degrade time |
Between 400 and 1,000 years. |
Mineralizes 60% in 180 days. |
Takes about a month to biodegrade in a wet environment, depending on the conditions and the type of paper. |
In the right conditions, it will break down after approximately 2 years. |
PROS |
- Recyclable.
- Standard functional performance and strength.
- Uses fewer raw materials than paper bags.
- Takes less energy to produce than paper bags and compostable bio-based bags.
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- Some of the raw material may be annually renewable.
- Mostly biodegradable and compostable.
- Degrades fast.
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- Recyclable.
- Biodegradable if there is enough moisture.
- Safe for the environment AFTER disposal.
- Made from a renewable resource.
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- Made from 100% recycled plastic.
- Takes less energy to produce than any other bags.
- Recyclable.
- Made in North America.
- Raw materials do not contain food products that could otherwise be used to feed people.
- Less expensive than bags made from bio-based materials.
- Good functional performance and strength.
- Programmable life and controlled degradation.
- Longer shelf life than most bio-based bags.
- Produces biomass in addition to CO2 and water on biodegradation.
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CONS |
- Stays in the environment for hundreds of years and can harm animals that ingest them.
- Can contaminate water and kill animals - approximately 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals die every year when they mistake bags for food.
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- Requires high level of energy for production.
- Not recyclable with existing facilities.
- Needs greater weight of material to achieve greater strength (because of performance and density).
- Can only be composted in a special composting facility.
- Anaerobic biodegradation releases methane.
- Weaker mechanical strength than regular or oxodegradable plastic bags.
- Limited shelf life means more waste.
- Source of starch can be problematic (made with food that can be used to feed people).
- Rainforests are cleared to grow crops for bioplastics.
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- Takes 20 times more energy to produce than EconoGreen Plastics™ bags.
- The production of paper bags generates 70% more air and 50 times more water pollution than the production of plastic bags.
- It takes 98% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper.
- Not as strong as plastic bags.
- The wood industry is responsible for clear-cutting old growth forests and deforestation.
- The paper bags that don’t decompose in landfills take more space in landfill than any other bags. For example, 2000 plastic bags weigh 30 pounds, while 2000 paper bags weigh 280 pounds.
- Creates more emissions and requires more energy to transport to their end destination than any other bags because they are heavier and less compact. Paper bags need 8 times the volume of plastic bags to transport. Therefore, it takes 8 times as many trucks to deliver the same carrying capacity.
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- Slower biodegradation than paper bags and bio-based materials because degradation depends on the level of oxygen the bags are exposed to, as well as heat, light, air, etc.
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Our Mission
