Do PE Bags Really Harm the Environment?

Plastic bags are bags people usually use at the grocery store or market. They are convenient, light-weighted and strong. They are so strong that environmentalists say that it would take 1,000 years for these bags in a landfill to decompose. And there are one million plastic bags used throughout the world every minute. Just imagine how big impact that would have on the environment.

However, plastic bags are not simply equal toPE bags. It is true that PE bags are one of plastic bags and do have bad influence on the environment, yet these ecological problems arising from the fact that people do not dispose of these bags properly. When environmentalists point up the fact that they take up to a thousand years to decompose, they are talking about the case where litter is buried improperly and blown in the wind and so it will take a long time for litter to degrade.

Since PE bags are needed in everyday life and they also have bad environmental influence, then the only thing we can do is to dispose of them properly and get them recycled. The followings are some advice as how to recycle PE bags.

First, you can send poly bags to recycling stations. Many poly bags nowadays have resin identification codes to make sure recycling process go easier. You can check the codes first. Usually these coeds are marked from 01 to 07. Before you take the bags in, you can call the recycling centers or visit their websites first for hours of operation and to check which kinds of bags the center accepts. You should ask if the center needs to sort the bags by codes.

Second, it is a good idea to reuse the bags. Keep your clean PE bags at hand for times when you need them. You can store them in a PE bag sock. And take them with you when you are going to shop. You can also use them for garage sales. You can also fill them with items to donate and carry them to thrift stores or charity causes. It is also necessary for you to share tips with family and friends about reusing the bags.

Third, you can also return the clean PE bags to selected stores where you received the bags. Many retail stores are now accepting PE bags. You can call the stores to see where to return the bags. Or, you can also ask the salesperson where you can recycle the bags when you purchase goods.