Lifestyle

Eco Carrier Bags and Their Effect on the Environment

In the big push to go green, most people think about how they can reduce their reliance on cars, fossil-powered electricity, and irresponsibly produced products. However, many don’t even consider the bags they use to carry things from place to place, bag their groceries, or ship gifts to their friends.

Those are actually major pollutants. Over 3 million tons of plastic bags are added to landfills every year. Considering how light a standard plastic bag is, you can imagine just how many bags that is.

Even worse, those bags stick around for around 40 years from the day they get added until they finally start decomposing.

Luckily, there is an emerging solution to this problem: Eco carrier bags.

What is an Eco Carrier Bag?

An eco carrier bag is a large bag designed to carry things around; mostly when you’re shopping or getting your groceries home. However, the “eco” part refers to how they’re made. Eco carrier bags aren’t made from plastic or other unsustainable materials like traditional ones are. They’re typically made out of kelp-based paper or biodegradable plastic, cotton, and other natural things.

This gives eco carrier bags some major advantages.

Biodegradable:

Eco carrier bags break down within days or weeks of entering the landfill. This keeps them from piling up and harming the planet over the long term. Compare that to the forty years it takes for a plastic bag to disappear.

Wildlife Friendly:

Unfortunately, wildlife and aquatic life are some of the most directly affected by plastic bags. They get trapped in them and suffocate or are otherwise injured. The plastic bags are not breathable, and they’re hard to break out of.

Eco carrier bags aren’t as big of a problem. Yes, an animal can still work its way into one, but it’s unlikely to become much more than an embarrassing moment. The bags are made from natural fibers that can “breathe” somewhat, and they tend to be far easier for animals to get out of when they try hard enough. This can greatly lower the impact the bags have on aquatic and terrain wildlife.

Reusable:

We won’t lie. Recycling isn’t always worthwhile. In fact, some items you try to recycle every day just end up in a landfill anyway. This can be due to contamination, condition, the type of material it is, etc. However, the recycling industry won’t tell you that.

That’s why reusing your items on your own is so important. If something can be used, you can “recycle” it yourself and ensure that it doesn’t go to the landfill.

Eco carrier bags are reusable, and you can typically get years of use out of them if you treat them right, keep them dry, and don’t overload them.

Eco Carrier Bags are the Future

With everyone going green, it’s only a matter of time before eco carrier bags become a normal sight everywhere. You can get ahead of the curb by picking up your own eco carrier bags today and experiencing the benefits for yourself.