Bags and Sacks

Synthetic biodegradable polyesters are used mainly as specialty materials for paper coating, fibres, and garbage bags and sacks. They are also showing up in thermoformed packaging as functional adjuncts to lower-cost biodegradable materials. 

The major classes of biopolymer, starch and starch blends, polylactic acid (PLA) and aliphatic-aromatic co-polyesters, are now being used in a wide variety of niche applications, particularly for manufacture of rigid and flexible packaging, bags and sacks and foodservice products. However, market volumes for biopolymers remain extremely low compared with standard petrochemical-based plastics. For example, biopolymer consumption accounted for just 0.14% of total thermoplastics consumption in Western Europe for 2005. 

Packaging is the largest application area for bioplastics in North America with 41 % of total volumes in 2005. Other significant markets are loose-fill packaging foam and bags and sacks. 

Packaging is the largest market for biodegradable polymers in Asia Pacific with 44% of market volume in 2005. Bags and sacks is the second largest market with 21% followed by loose-fill packaging with 15%. 

Starch-based biodegradable plastics are used for manufacture of various types of bags and sacks including, refuse sacks, shopping bags and compost bags. 

Bags and sacks is one of the most important market sectors for Ecoflex. It can be used in the manufacture of fresh fruit and vegetable bags, refuse bags and carrier bags, using either Ecoflex on its own, or an Ecoflex/starch blend. 

Bags and sacks represents around a half of synthetic biodegradable polymer consumption worldwide in 2005. Packaging represents 39% of total consumption with other applications such as agricultural film, paper coating and nonwovens representing 11 % of total market volumes. 

Principal products include paper and plastic bags and sacks, containers and trays, stationary, tableware, tape and industrial wrap. 

Okopack Film S is semi-transparent with properties similar to polyethylene. Okopack C and S can be used for production of flat films, sleeve films and bags and sacks, which can be used for fruit and vegetable packaging. 

Wemterra blown films are starch-based biodegradable and compostable materials. They are certified in accordance with DIN V 54900 (Germany) OK Compost and VGS-Tabel (including OK-Compost-Label, Belgium). Wenterra film is used for manufacture of bio-waste disposal bags and sacks. 

Chapter 9 examines the market opportunities for biodegradable plastics by end use market covering packaging, bags and sacks, disposable serviceware, agriculture and horticulture, medical devices, consumer electronics products, automotive, speciality cards and fibres. 

If starch is modified by partially fermenting it, or esterifying or etherification, the resulting material can be extruded by adding plasticizers. Starch-based plastics are readily biodegraded. In most cases, the polymers are also water-soluble. Several suppliers now offer thermoplastic starch. Major markets include soluble films for industrial packaging, films for bags and sacks, and loose fill. 

While most recycled HOPE comes from bottles, limited recycling of other HDPE materials also occurs. Some recovery of HDPE film occurs, along with LDPE, when retail bags are collected for recycling. This is discussed in Sec. 8.6. This collection dropped precipitously between 1996, when it reached a high of 50 thousand tons, and 1998, when it fell to 10 thousand tons. EPA reports about 10 thousand tons of bags and sacks recycled in each year since 1998." ... 

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