Carrier bags

Carrier Bags
Executive Summary About Carrier Bags by Wesley C. Clarke

Carrier bags have many different names such as: Shopping Bag, Plastic Shopping Bag, and Plastic Grocery Bags, the bags are usually designed for single uses (taking your purchases from the shop to your house), from there they are usually used for trash or storage and then referred to as 'Bin Bags'. Some companies offer heavy duty carrier bags; these are suitable for multiple uses (including shopping again).

Carrier bags are usually made from Polyethylene; this material consists of a very long chain of polymers (Ethylene). This is derived from petroleum and natural gas, however this substance was not used for the production of bags until 1977, it was in 1982 that the traditional paper bag was widely replaced by the more cost effective plastic bags. And to this day they have remained common practice for most shops worldwide.

In an environmental sense the reusable bag is considered for more environmentally friendly than the single use bags. When comparing the bag to its paper counterpart it has various advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages
• Better on the environment that paper bags, they require a lot less energy during the manufacturing process, they also cause less water and air pollution.
• For food transport the plastic bag is a sterile method, paper is not.
• Re-usable.
• Can be used as bin liners.
• Lightweight and use less energy during transportation.

Disadvantages
• Made from Petrochemicals (Petrochemicals are not renewable).
• Can endanger wildlife if disposed of incorrectly.
• Plastic Recycling is more problematic than Paper Recycling
• If left around they can cause young children to suffocate if not handled properly

Carrier bags can be printed on with your company logo and writing, they are a very powerful way to get the name of your business out there amongst the general public.