Plastic
Plastic is made from oil, which is a non-renewable resource. This has an obvious detrimental effect on the environment. Plastic also requires a great deal of energy to produce. TreeHuggerreports that the largest energy input into the plastic bag manufacturing process is electricity. In the United States, half of this energy comes from coal burning power plants. This, again, has a negative impact on the environment.
Plastics can be recycled. The recycling process means that plastics are often down-cycled, which means that they produce a lesser-quality material after each recycling.
High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)
One of the most common plastics used around the world, HDPE features a variety of qualities, which makes it an excellent material for manufacturing plastic bags. It’s lightweight, relatively transparent, water and temperature resistant, and has high tensile strength.
Apart from that, HDPE plastic bags meet the USDA and FDA food handling guidelines, thus making them a popular choice for both storing and serving food in take-out and retail.
HDPE plastic bags can be found in restaurants, convenience stores, grocery stores, delis and even in homes for storing and packaging purposes. HDPE is also used for garbage bags, utility bags, T-shirt bags, and laundry bags, among others.
Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)
This type of plastic is commonly used for utility bags, food bags, bread bags as well as bags with moderate strength and stretch properties. Though LDPE is not as strong as HDPE bags, they are capable of storing bulk items, specifically food and meat products.
Moreover, the clear plastic makes it easy to identify the contents, allowing restaurateurs to keep up in the fast-paced setting of commercial kitchens.
That said, LDPE plastic bags are highly versatile and are popular for use with heat-sealing due to their low melting point. LDPE also meets the USDA and FDA food handling guidelines and also is also sometimes used to make bubble wrap.
