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Degradable Bags

Research Product

Degradable Plastic Shopping Bags

Plastic shopping bags have become one of the major sources of pollution in the developing countries. Although the disposal of plastic bags as refuse or litter is a volume problem, however the heavy usage of plastics as packaging materials in the consumer industry has drawn widespread attention of the public because of their relative resistance to the degradation.

The shopping bags based on polyethylene material developed by Agri and those available in the market were exposed to the outdoor weather of Islamabad (Pakistan), placed at 40 ^oC in the aging oven and exposed to the UV source in the laboratory for various periods of time in order to study their suitability for packing purposes from the environmental friendly point of view.

The specimens were characterized by IR spectroscopy, tensile test and GPC study. The results show very clearly that ordinary shopping bags currently being used in the market have excellent resistance to the outdoor weather and indicate no sign of degradation while PE bags developed by Agri disintegrate and degrade extensively on exposure to the normal weathering. This is primarily due to the UV radiation in the sunlight. The migration test conducted by Rapra Technology Ltd of England to study the food safety aspect of packing illustrates that Agri bags meet European Union specification.

Agri bags, therefore, can be used for shopping purposes and for packing of food. It is anticipated to solve some of the major problems associated with the environmental pollution caused by the extensive use of PE bags.

Features of Degradable Bags

	Disintegrate into small pieces  within 8 - 10 days during  outdoor exposure
	Environmental friendly
	No health hazard
	Recycling is not possible
	Meet European Union  specification for food  packing

 

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