Oxo-Biodegradable plastic bags with EPI’s TDPA™ additive have been available since 1991. The bags with pioneering technology from EPI, degrade under the natural action of sunlight, elevated temperatures, and mechanical action; plastic bags with your logo will no longer embarrass you, stuck in trees, littering streets, or slowly drowning in rivers and ponds for years to come. 

 

Due to the patented technology in the TDPA™ additive, bags made of normal Polyethylene can be used and reused time and time again: with no loss of strength, performance, print quality etc until at the end of its (manufacturer) specified life. The bag will begin to degrade into smaller and smaller fragments, able to further biodegrade to just Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Water (H2O) and Biomass (proven under international standards and independent testing). 

 

With the on-going support and scientific backing of EPI Global you can be assured that the plastic additives used in these bags are food safe (additive complies with FDA, EFSA etc), non-toxic, and non-ecotoxic; making your choice in this bag a sound environmental and commercial choice. 

 

For more information, please visit the EPI website at www.epi-global.com or send an email with your question to info@epi-global.com 

 

In the UK we use about 10 Billion carrier bags per year, each on average for only 20 minutes. At an average of 8g each, that is 80,000 tonnes of plastic, equivalent to 45,000 cars or 230 swimming pools full per year. By using Bio-degradable materials this volume is generally turned into Carbon Dioxide, Water and Biomass that are then absorbed by plants to grow, and create Oxygen. 

 

Instead of a normal pure plastic like Polyethylene a Biodegradable Bag is normally made of one of the following Materials: Paper, Natural Fibre: Jute, Hemp or Cotton, Bio-Polymer, Oxo-Biodegradable Plastic/additive. Each material has its own properties, and therefore different strengths and weaknesses. 

 

It depends on your budget, your application, and how you want to market your company and product. The best thing is that there is now such a choice that nearly everybody can find the perfect bag for their needs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First the plastic fragments into small pieces some microscopic in size, these are then broken down by bacteria, fungi, lichen, and micro-organisms in the soil etc to form Carbon Dioxide, Water, and Biomass. The Carbon Dioxide, Water, and Biomass are then absorbed by plants and turned into Food and Oxygen by the process of Photosynthesis. 

 

Over 86% of all oil is just burnt, in cars, to make energy, and heat. About 2% of the Oil & Gas is used to make plastics; this 2% would otherwise be waste, as the oil companies extract the 86% used as fuel, heating etc as their very profitable product, not for making plastics. Of this 2%, less than 1% is used to make bags, that is less than 0.02% used to make Plastic Bags. 

 

No. The additives are fully tested and are Food Safe, non toxic. Further, by breaking down faster than a normal bag, they allow the contents to decompose faster therefore Aerobically. If the contents decompose whilst sealed in the bag, without oxygen, Anaerobically, they will generate Methane gas which is explosive, and 21x more damaging to the environment than Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas, which is normally released on decomposition. 

 

No. Less than 1% of street litter is made up of carrier bags; the worst offenders are Fast Food containers, plastic water bottles, and surprisingly still Cigarettes and Chewing Gum. Street Litter is a Social Behaviour problem; not as such a material problem. 

 

The bags take about 2 years to degrade when you have disposed of them; this time is accelerated slightly by heat, sunlight (UV) and mechanical action. 

 

Unfortunately, like Bio plastics, home Compost heaps are not suitable for our bags. Since industrial composting is a business driven by speed and money, our bags take a little too long for them, as we want you to get a good useful life out of your bag, so just recycle them as normal, and turn them back into more bags. 

 

Your bag is still made mainly out of Polyethylene with a small amount for a Food Safe Non Toxic Additive called TDPA™. This additive does not affect the recycling system, so your bag can be recycled as you would normally, either in store or at a local municipal recycling centre. 

 

We have designed the bags to give you about two years of normal use, so you can keep using the bag as you normally would, then when it is worn out, recycle it. 

 

The best route is the Recycle the bag, as this saves about 40% of the energy in making a new bag. The next best solution is Incineration, as Plastic has a very high calorific value, like oil. The final and least environmental solution is landfill; but only after you have used the bag as many times as possible. 

 

40 % of waste at a Landfill is Organic matter, which really should have been composted. “Plastic” bags make up only about 0.05% of our rubbish.