Atlantic Poly Blog

As you already know, plastic bags are easier on the environment than paper. Atlantic Poly is where you can find gallon sized pleated plastic bags that are even easier on the environment than most. The uses and markets for polyethylene or poly bags are virtually endless. We have many sized and styles of plastic bags in stock too.

Atlantic Poly's layflat and gusseted bags are the perfect blend of technology and source reduction. They are made with 100% renewable energy from sources like wind and solar power. Our eco-conscious line is fully recyclable, completely non-toxic and performs so well, that you can feel confident using lighter gauge bags. It’s easy to source reduce with Atlantic Poly's layflat and gusseted bags.

Atlantic Poly medium and large layflat and gusseted bags are made from proprietary formulations. These plastic bags are engineered to provide three times the impact and twice the tensile strength of traditional low density polyethylene bags. They are formulated to provide better performance at lower gauges. That makes Atlantic Poly's layflat and gusseted bags easy on the environment, too.

Lighter density plastic bags are a good choice for items that are not heavy and require only a basic shield from their nearby environmental surroundings. Heavy density poly bags keep your goods safe from harm in more abusive environments where dirt, dust, moisture, and motion could damage your goods.

If you are looking for gallon size plastic bags, or any other size, contact Atlantic Poly.

We want you to know that Atlantic Poly is a steward of the earth's environment in that we work very hard to maximize the use of recycled source material throughout our entire supply process. This blog will focus on the product nature and recycling promise of two of our primary products: Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).
 
LDPE is the basic compound of original commercial use of polyethylene. LPDE is characterized by good toughness, resistance to chemicals, flexibility and clarity. It's an excellent material in low heat electrical and chemical applications. LDPE is a flexible plastic which makes it a very versatile product with a wide range of commercial applications. In recent years, LDPE versatility improved as it emerged as a commonly accepted recyclable product. The average household today utilizes an assortment of recycled LDPE products to include:
 
• Trash can liners
• Compost bins
• Shipping envelopes
• Paneling
• Lumber
• Landscaping ties
• Floor tile
 
HDPE is more rigid and harder than lower density materials. It also has higher tensile strength; four times that of low-density polyethylene. It is three times better in compressive strength and meets FDA requirements for direct food contact applications. HDPE is a versatile plastic with many uses, especially for packaging. It carries low risk of leaching and is readily recyclable into many goods such as:
 
• Laundry detergent bottles
• Oil bottles
• Pens
• Recycling container
• Floor tile
• Drainage pipe
• Lumber
• Benches
• Picnic tables
• Fencing
 
It is important to us that you understand that Atlantic Poly is doing our part to protect the environment through our use of recycled products in our processes. We also encourage you to consider recycling not only the common household items listed here, but any and all products that you notice marked with the "recyclable" label.

There are types of biodegradable plastics and it is important to distinguish between them; their costs and uses are very different. The two main types are oxo-biodegradable and hydro-biodegradable. Oxo-biodegradable plastics are “good” biodegradable plastic. When purchasing what you believe to be biodegradable, be sure the product is made from Oxo-biodegradable plastic.

In both cases degradation begins with a chemical process followed by a biological process. Both types emit CO2 as they degrade, but hydro-biodegradable can also emit methane. Both types are compostable, but only oxo-biodegradable can be economically recycled. Hydro-biodegradable is much more expensive than oxo-biodegradable.

OXO-BIODEGRADABLE PLASTIC - This new technology produces plastic which degrades by a process of OXO-degradation. The technology is based on a very small amount of pro-degradant additive being added into the manufacturing process, which changes the behavior of the plastic. Degradation begins when the programmed service life is over and the product is no longer required. This “life” of the plastic product is determined at the time of manufacture by the additive formula and can be as little as a few months or as much as a few years.

There is little or no additional cost involved in products made with this technology, which can be made with the same machinery and workforce as conventional plastic products.

The plastic bottles or bags fragment, and will be consumed by bacteria and fungi after the additive has reduced the molecular structure to a level which permits living micro-organisms access to the carbon and hydrogen. So, it is “biodegradable.” This plastic biodegrades to nothing more than CO2, water, and humus, and it does not leave fragments of petro-polymers in the soil.

Oxo-biodegradable polymers do not contain PCBs, nor do they emit methane or nitrous oxide.

HYDRO-BIODEGRADABLE PLASTICS - Some plastics in this category have high starch content and it is sometimes said that this justifies the claim that they are made from renewable resources. However, many of them contain up to 50% of synthetic plastic derived from oil, and others are entirely based on oil-derived intermediates.

Hydro-biodegradable plastics are not genuinely “renewable” because the process of making them is a significant user of fossil-fuel energy and a producer of greenhouse gases.

A disproportionate amount of land would be required to produce sufficient raw material to replace conventional plastic products, along with a huge amount of water.

Plastics made from crops, are up to 400% more expensive, they are not strong enough for use in high-speed machinery, and they emit methane in landfills.

Oxo-bio plastics degrade in the upper layers of a landfill, but they are completely inert deeper in the landfill in the absence of oxygen.

Paper bags use 300% more energy to produce. They are also bulky and heavy to store and are not strong enough, especially when wet. They also emit methane in a landfill.

So before your company decides to eliminate plastic, be sure you know your options and understand the different types of biodegradable plastics.

Paper or plastic? Ever wonder which is actually the right choice?

Environmentalists, bag manufacturers and garbage specialists have all wondered the same thing, but they come up with different answers.

Plastic bags end up in landfills, or on roadsides, or in lakes and streams, where they prove quite a hazard to wildlife, which choke on the bags.

But bag manufacturers and garbage experts say that in the long run, plastic wins over paper.

"Paper bags are easier to recycle, but they weigh 10 times as much," says Robert Bateman of Roplast Industries, a bag manufacturer. "And paper bags use more energy and cause more waste in the process of manufacturing."

A paper bag eats up almost three times as much energy in the manufacturing process, says Bateman, who's also a past president of the Plastic Bag Association.

That's not something usually emphasized by environmentalists trying to reduce plastic use.

"Plastic bags come out on the right side of the equation on everything except the recycling side," Bateman says.

Is paper better?

Ask a professor specializing in garbage whether paper is better than plastic, and he'll say the equation is relatively easy to solve.

"The answer is very simple and very straightforward," says garbologist Bill Rathje, at the Archaeology Center of Stanford University and a leading authority on what is in America's garbage.

"It's not one that the paper-bag people like to hear. In a dry landfill, paper bags don't degrade any faster than plastic bags. In a normal, well-run landfill, paper bags do not biodegrade any faster over at least 40 years than plastic."

The problem with paper is that it's fatter, he explains.

"Paper bags are much bulkier than plastic, so they fill up more landfill space," Rathje says. "They're three to five times bulkier than plastic, and you can see that yourself at the grocery. Landfills are closing down because they're full. From that perspective, plastic is much better than paper."

Bag manufacturer executive Bateman says that a lot of the wildlife-are-hurt argument is based on anecdotal evidence.

“A seal eating plastic is very rare," he says. "Plastics are durable and light and tend to float. As far as damaging other wildlife is concerned, the worst of it is sort of anecdotal and not representative of what's going on."

The plastic bag is winning the global popularity contest, manufacturers say, and part of that is because plastic is cheap.

"The paper bag is a mass-commodity product and is dying because of the costs involved -- specifically, because of the energy costs," explains Bateman. "Paper is energy-intensive compared to plastic.

Original article on Bankrate.com