Non-woven bags have been trending more and more in the recent past as the world shifts to ban the use of non-recyclable plastic bags. Non-woven bags are sacks that are manufactured from polypropylene plastic and although reusable, they are cheap to manufacture; they are light weighted. This has made many people consider them as a better option as compared to plastic bags that are a nuisance to the environment. However, it is important to analyze whether non-woven bags are as eco-friendly as they appear to be. It has some merits that can be debated for and against.
Advocacies Surrounding Why Non-woven Bags are Environmentally Friendly
Made from recycled materials. Non-woven bags are generally derived from post-industrial/post-consumer recycled plastic polypropylene rather than virgin material. This makes us recycle plastic that otherwise would end up in the dump or polluting the sea. The process of recycling involves using the same plastic materials and is considered more environmentally friendly as it does not involve the manufacturing of new plastic.
Reusable and durable. Non-woven bags, if used and washed correctly, can be reused for over 100 occasions. They are reusable that makes a number of uses before discardation especially when it is used to visit the grocery or the market. This results in a much lower amount of plastics dumped in the environment than when using the single use disposable bags.
Lower carbon footprint. Non-woven bags are made without weaving; they are made through a method that does not emit as much carbon as other tote bags, such as those made from cotton. Polypropylene in the process of manufacturing into a useable form has fewer demonstrations of water and energy consumption.
It is a biodegradable material which decomposes faster than normal plastic products. Despite not being biodegradable, non-woven plastics will degrade at a faster rate in landfill environment as compared to polyethylene based plastic bags. This equals lesser use of plastics in the environment due to the fact that most of it becomes biodegradable in the long run.
Made from plastic. Non-woven bags are recyclable and reusable; however, they are simply a form of plastic that has been proven to have adverse effects on the environment. It is known that plastic does not decompose, remains a pollutant for many years, and is toxic to animals and birds.
Produces microplastics when washed. Microplastics appear after these non-woven bags are used in washing machines and starts dissolving into small plastic granules. These microplastic materials find their way into water bodies and seas, thus adding to the menace of plastics.
Currently does not apply to all the municipal recycling programs. Non-woven bags are usually manufactured from recycled material but maybe cannot be recycled in the same places as the raw materials used. Recycling polypropylene is a challenge because it needs specific structures that majority of the municipalities do not own.
Brings a disposal problem when it is damaged. Non-woven bags are used until they wear out from frequent uses; however, they have to be properly disposed of once they are worn out. That can be a problem when the recyclability is limited, as it is with most beverages, as noted earlier. Damaged bags may be thermally degraded or buried in a landfill thereby contributing to a constant stream of plastic waste.
The Verdict – It Depends
Therefore, is the use of non-woven plastic bags a better option for the environment? Lively debates can be observed in this topic and while each side has reasonable points to make, there is some truth in both arguments. Non-woven bags appear better than single-use plastic at the time of reusing and in terms of the life cycle. In practice, however, they are not free from most of the environmental nuisances of conventional plastic because they are made from similar material.
Maybe it is best to say that, non-woven bags are a step towards the solution but not the solution themselves. While they reduce waste production from single-use bags, they do not eradicate it completely, implying that they produce plastic waste. And their recyclability problems imply that the formation of plastic pollution may be still possible at the end-of-life.
For non-woven bags to be truly eco-friendly into the future, more advancements are needed:For non-woven bags to be truly eco-friendly into the future, more advancements are needed:
Enhancing biodegradability through green chemistry approaches focusing on enabling polypropylene to degrade more easily after disposal. This would reduce constant depositing in the landfills and natural systems.
Increasing compatibility with already accepted recyclables and recycling centers. This would increase the rates of recycling of non-woven bags as opposed to the current status where most of them end up as objects of littering in the environment.
To further enhance the use of recycled material, the optimal level of recycled material usage should be used, preferably 100%. This would mean a decrease in the new Polypropylene production requirement.
As things stand, non-woven bags should occupy the next level in reusables after having eliminated single-use plastics where technology is concerned. However, more innovation has to be done for them to become an definitively eco-friendly solution in the long-run.