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Why are LDPE bags so popular?

Mostly known as the” Bags for Life”, Low-Density Polyethylene Bags or LDPE Bags, are hugely popular among companies as well as the general public. At home, these bags are usually found in kitchens, where they are used to store food items. As these LDPE bags are recyclable, they can easily be reused as kitchen catchers. The Low-Density Polyethylene Bags usually available in the market are very thick, heavy-duty plastic ones. These bags witness high demand among customers because they are easily recyclable and therefore prove to be most beneficial for households. The majority of the LDPE bags being used in houses are known to have 30% recycled content.

Other Uses of LDPE

Most people are of the view that LDPE is only used to manufacture bags but that is not the case. Low-Density Polyethylene is used to manufacture many other products. These include adhesives, plastic bags for packing purposes in dry cleaning, bakery, bin liners, and frozen food. LDPE is also the source material of the coatings used in paper milk cartons and coffee cups.

Additionally, LDPE is used to manufacture adjustable containers for food products like squeezable honey and jam. It can also be utilized to produce lids for ice-cream boxes, sealants, shrink wraps, toys and wire coverings.

Environmental Hazards of LDPE bags

Although Low-Density Polyethylene Bags meet most of the requirements of the consumer, they also have negative effects. LDPE bags are not very environmentally friendly as their source material is a non-renewable one. Another drawback is that because of their weightless nature, they cannot be disposed of so easily. The excessive use of Low-Density Polyethylene Bags is harmful to the environment as it is not biodegradable.

There Are Positives too

The first benefit is that LDPE bags are recyclable and can be converted into a wide variety of products. These include compost and garbage bins, film, plastic, different kinds of furniture, garbage can liners, paneling in homes and offices, plastic lumbers and shipping envelopes.

There are three types of LDPE bag recycling. There is curbside recycling where the LDPE bags/products are collected through the local curbside recycling operations. The second is Grocery store drop-off programs where certain local groceries, take in LDPE plastics for recycling purposes. Third and last are reusing the plastic at home to either store more food, office stationery, and many other items.