Reusable Eco-Friendly Bags

Types of bags

The use of eco-friendly bags is one of the best options available. Here you will learn about the bag options, made from ecological materials, that you can find at GreenUso. Bags that go hand in hand with your conviction to work for the environment.

Paper bags

Paper is a biodegradable material with low impact on the environment. Paper bags are widely used in bakeries, hotels and restaurants. It's common to use kraft paper to make this type of bag. A material of superior resistance to most plastic bags. Among the most important advantages of paper bags are that they are reusable, recyclable, sustainable and resistant. They can also be customized, making them the ideal material for the bags of any business.

Cloth Bags

Imagine going shopping for your house and going with only one bag. How many plastic bags would you stop using with one bag? Cloth bags offer the strength and durability needed to carry out this task frequently. They are regularly made from highly resistant recycled fabrics, such as denim, the raw material for making jeans. Using cloth bags will help you reduce your environmental footprint and support the recycling of other materials. Another outstanding feature in the portability. They are very light and can be folded, so you can move them at any time and always have them at hand.

Biodegradable bags

Did you know that there are plastic bags made from 100% natural ingredients? As incredible as it sounds, biodegradable bags are made from natural materials. Because of this quality, they are considered one of the most environmentally friendly types of bags. Among the raw materials used for their manufacture are corn starch, sugar cane or potato starch. The result is a very resistant bag with the quality of degrading to leave no residue, in a very short time.

Composting bags

All material is considered compostable when, from processes carried out by man, it can be transformed into organic fertilizer. In this sense, compostable bags are made from elements that make it viable to convert them into compost. The main material used to make compostable bags is wheat, potato or corn starch. A material known as PLA is obtained: polylactic acid plastic. In order to convert the compostable bags into organic fertilizer, a process of unifying this type of bags with other natural waste, such as food and garden waste, is carried out. The whole process is done at a maximum temperature of 60˚ centigrade.

Reusable bags

The reusable bags, produced with cotton processed in different ways. This type of bag, often confused with cloth bags, is ideal for transporting products of different types and weights. It is common that they have a reinforced seam to increase their strength. On the other hand, the material is ideal to customize it. That is why it is one of the favorite materials of marketing departments. They are often used in the manufacture of souvenirs or products.

Why is it necessary to use eco-friendly bags?

Because of the damage we are doing to our environment, measures are being taken - by public and private organizations - to decrease the use of this material. One of the measures is that issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment of Spain. Royal Decree 293/2018, which came into force on 1˚ in July 2018, establishes the measures that must be applied to keep the consumption of plastic in bags to a minimum. The Royal Decree divides the bags, which are often used in any store, into four types: - Lightweight plastic bags- Very lightweight plastic bags- Oxo-degradable bags- Compostable plastic bags Based on this classification, taking into account the thickness of the bag and the material that was used for its manufacture, an amount of money is charged as established in the same Royal Decree. In addition, with a holistic view of the situation, it establishes the actions to be developed by the companies that manufacture plastic bags. As you will see, it is necessary to get used to using other methods of transporting our purchases to our home, office or place of interest. You will save a few euros a year and make an important contribution to the conservation of the environment.

Advantages of using eco-friendly bags

Although the decrease in plastic consumption is a good reason to use the eco-friendly bags, we bring you other reasons to use eco-friendly bags. The ecological bags, depending on their type and processing material, can be more resistant than the plastic bags we use regularly. On the other hand, they are reusable, extending their useful life. In the case of cloth bags, you can wash them, so they will always be as good as new. This type of bag also gives you the opportunity to use biodegradable materials, which considerably reduces your environmental footprint. In closing, we must emphasize that the ecological bags are easier to recycle, also should be invested less financial resources during this process.

Tips to avoid using plastic bags

Breaking a habit, such as using plastic bags, can be a difficult or very simple task, it all depends on how you take it. The main thing is to be honest about your behaviour and to identify the situations in which you are most likely to use plastic bags. You can also perform actions such as the following:

• Get, in the shortest time possible, a reusable bag and always carry it with you. This way, when you want to move any product you can do it without problems.
• If you don't have a reusable bag, fold several plastic bags and keep them handy. When you need a bag, use the ones you have.
• When you buy few items, and do not have any bags to be reused, choose to carry them in your hands. It is always possible and you will avoid using a plastic bag.
• Find ways to reuse the plastic bags you have at home. You can make many new items from your old plastic bags.
• When you define that you are not going to use any bag or see a discarded one on the floor, throw it in the yellow container and allow it to go to a recycling center.
• Promote, among family and friends, the use of eco-friendly bags like the ones we mentioned in this article.