NATIONAL REPORT—Whether for disposing of trash or for holding items purchased in a hotel or resort gift shop, bags—unless they are used over and over again—have historically been a detriment to the environment. There are not a lot of things that are created just to be thrown away but most bags fall into this category. Plastic bags account for 10,000 tons of landfill space in the United States. It takes a thousand years for a plastic bag to naturally degrade. Less than 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled each year. Plastic bags are blamed for the annual death of more than 1 million birds and 100,000 marine animals. Paper bags are not exactly environmentally efficient either. Compared to a plastic bag, it takes more than four times as much energy to produce a paper bag. In a landfill, paper takes up nine times as much space, and paper bags generate 70 percent more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags.
The good news for the lodging industry is that suppliers are now producing bags that are not as reliant on petroleum or trees for their production. Bio-based, nontoxic trash bags that biodegrade more easily than their petroleum-based plastic counterparts are now common. In most cases, these more eco-friendly alternatives have been tested for their biodegradability or compostability by reputable organizations such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the U.S. Compost Council, or by organizations outside of the United States such as the International Organization for Standardization. Many types of bags currently available—especially those more apt to be given away at trade shows or group meetings—are made from recycled soda bottles or natural fibers such as jute.
Sources for ‘Greener’ Bags
The following is a list of some of the vendors that offer somewhat better or much better alternatives to the paper and plastic bags typically used:
At the website LetsGoGreen.biz, one can purchase several different bag types. They include: EcoSafe Compostable Trash Bags, EcoSafe Biodegradable Trash Bags, BioBag Compostable Trash Bags, Recycled Biodegradable Trash Bags, and Compostable Pet Waste Bags.
Nature Friendly Products offers Biodegradable Trash Bags in different sizes and thicknesses. They are compostable in 50 to 100 days in a “properly managed composting facility.”
BioGroupUSA sells biodegradable and compostable trash bags and other types of bags made from a material called Mater-Bi. It comes from renewable raw materials of agricultural origin—corn, for example—and from non-genetically modified starch.
NaT-Ur sells trash bags made from Cereplast Compostables resins. NaT-Ur products replace nearly 100 percent of the petroleum dependant additives used in traditional plastics with bio-based materials such as corn, wheat, tapioca and potato starches.
Finishing Touches & Décor, Ltd., with its Bags Go Green line, offers shopping bags made from jute, a sustainable plant-based fiber. Jute is grown in eastern India.
Recycled Bottle Content Included
EDEN Bags uses the equivalent of five 16-ounce plastic water bottles in each of its tote bags.
True Green Enterprises, Inc. sells trash bags made from traditional plastic but they include an additive that makes the plastic polymer appealing and edible to microbes. Microbes are the catalyst in the biodegrading process. True Green also sells jute shopping bags.
Green Tree Industries’ totes and bags are available in PET fabric and PLA-resin. PET fabric is composed of mostly recycled PET resins—the resin found commonly in water and soda bottles. PLA-resin is 100 percent biodegradable.
For guests who travel with their dogs, Zero Waste USA, Inc. and PoopBags.com offer biodegradable dog waste bags.
Return2Green International sells biodegradable trash bags made with ECM BioFilm or Natural Starch Agro-Waste.
EcoPure Accelerates Biodegradation
Plastic trash bags from Green Genius LLC include the ingredient EcoPure which allows the plastic to be eaten by microbes.
BE a GREEN company offers a variety of shopping bags made from corn plastic.
RestaurantBags.com features several different “green” options. Encore bags can include an additive to encourage biodegrading, are available made with recycled materials, and are printed with water-based inks.
Heritage Bag Company’s BioTuf products meet ASTM standards for compostability and are available in four different sizes.
For the disposal of tampons, Golden Group International and The Scensible Source Co. LLC offer environmentally preferable options.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
