Introduction

It is estimated that a plastic carrier bag is used, on average, for only 12 minutes before it is discarded. Considering the millions that we use every year, this is a waste of resources and energy and contributes to the problem of our landfill sites filling up. 

Furthermore, plastic bags are also said to be the most common manmade item seen by sailors. This causes difficulties, since marine wildlife eat plastic bags because they mistake them for jellyfish. Once in their guts the bags cause intestinal blockages - which are deadly.

Biodegradable and degradable plastic bags

What's the difference between biodegradable and degradable?

1. Degradable products are mostly broken down by heat, moisture and/or UV exposure. Biodegradable products are broke down by microorganism.

2. Degradable products tend to take much longer to break down into carbon dioxide, biomass and water.

How eco-friendly are biodegradable and degradable plastic bags?

Pros

• Biodegradable plastics are usually made from starch and come from starch-rich plants like corn. Unlike fossil fuels, plants are renewable resources

• The carbon dioxide, which is emitted as the bioplastic composts, should have come from the atmosphere as the corn grew. This leads to a net effect of no emissions

Cons

• Some scientists have argued that certain bioplastics emit more carbon dioxide than the production of normal plastic bags made from PET

• Biobags only biodegrade if microorganisms can get at them. Bags in landfill sites don't degrade well at all

Reusable bag projects in Dorset

A growing number of communities in Dorset are promoting the use of reusable bags in their local area:

Dorchester

Dorchester Business Improvement District (BID) project recruited pupils from Sunninghill prep School to design a reuseable bag for Dorchester. All businesses within the BID can sell the bags and 4,000 will be available. Visit for the Dorset BID website (opens in a new window) for more information.

Lyme Regis

Turn Lyme Green have promoted the use of re-usable shopping bags, and provided a bag with a distinctive logo for all Lyme Regis residents. Demand for single-use bags has already plummeted by over 80%, and 90% of shopkeepers actively support the initiative. An animation film made by local primary school pupils has been shown at the local cinema to encourage visitors to support the campaign to rid the town of plastic carrier bags and to engage in environmentally-responsible action. Visit the Turn Lyme Green website (opens in a new window)   for further information.