Explanation of symbols on common types of plastic
October 25, 2023
1. Black plastic bag in roll form
This is a garbage bag made from the main material PE plastic and is also the most popular type of plastic bag today, used by many families. However, under normal conditions, this type of bag cannot decompose in the environment and can take up to 3,000 years to decompose.
Bags of this type often have a rough surface, many vertical lines, and an unpleasant odor. Therefore, this is a very toxic form of a garbage bag, easily affecting the user’s health, especially directly affecting the brain and lungs because it contains large amounts of cadmium and lead. In addition, the outer packaging also contains a lot of formaldehyde and tributylamine that can penetrate and cause the risk of skin and lung infections, etc.
_
2. Multi-colored plastic bags
This type of bag is made from Polyethylene and is commonly found in markets and supermarkets. This type of bag is also very easy to pollute the air when you burn it or it lasts for thousands of years, easily clogging the sewer system.
They are often called by another name, foam bags because they are quite thin, have average gloss and clarity, and are often cheap. Flexibility is often poor, folds easily, and makes noise when rubbed together. It should be noted that this type of bag contains a lot of metals such as lead, cadmium, etc., so when storing them in processed food, it will easily be harmful to health.
Multi-colored nylon bags
Self-destructing trash bags
_
3. Self-destructing trash bags
If regular plastic bags take hundreds of thousands of years to completely decompose, with this type of bag it only takes a few years, which leads to it being less harmful to the environment. The ingredients of this type of bag are microplastics accounting for 40 – 50% and other ingredients such as cornstarch, bagasse, decomposable additives, etc. It comes in many sizes suitable for many users.
Biodegradable trash bags have somewhat reduced the impact on consumers’ health because they contain many natural ingredients. When you burn it and it burns easily but without black smoke, the partial product will be less toxic and contain less heavy metals and impurities.
_
4. Biodegradable trash bags
This type of bag is recommended to be used as a priority because it is made 100% from sugarcane bagasse, tree residue, corn stalks, wheat flour… completely decomposable substances. It is made from LDPE and HDPE materials with transparency, smooth surface, waterproof, flexible, and durable.
In addition, biodegradable bags are also very diverse in design and size, helping to hold a variety of products with large weights. With a decomposition time of 24-36 months depending on environmental conditions and microbial humidity, it is no longer a concern for environmental pollution.
