Since disposable plastic bags were introduced to replace paper and cloth bags, more than 500 billion have been manufactured and gone into circulation worldwide.
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They comprise a large part of the 8.3 billion tons of waste made up of single-use plastics, with 79% dumped in landfill sites, according to a report by the Earth Day green group and as a single-use plastic bag takes an average of 20 years to decompose, it’s easy to see why they have become such a big problem.
Since October 2015, the UK government has made it compulsory for retailers to charge customers for plastic carrier bags. This followed a report that revealed more than 7.6 billion plastic bags were handed out to shoppers by supermarkets in 2014, equating to 140 bags per person, with a combined weight of around 61,000 tons.
Most leading supermarkets don’t offer single-use plastic bags at all today and charge a higher fee for a “bag for life” to encourage customers to reuse the 40 carrier bags squirrelled away in the average UK home. Being honest, most of us have a plastic bag filled with other plastic bags hidden in a cupboard! We all have good intentions to use them again, but we somehow forget.
Just when did single-use plastic bags change from being an asset for shoppers into a contributory source of plastic pollution?
History of the plastic bag
People used wicker baskets to carry shopping in bygone times, until paper bags were introduced in the 19th century. This was largely due to the Industrial Revolution, as the American inventor Francis Wolle patented the first machine that could mass-produce paper bags in 1852.
Fellow US inventor Margaret E Knight introduced a second machine in 1871 to manufacture flat-bottom paper bags that could carry more goods. A host of other bag manufacturers sprang up on both sides of the Atlantic by the end of the century to join the growing trend.
However, paper bags have their limits, as they aren’t durable enough to carry heavier weights of shopping, and they can break and turn to mulch if they get wet.
Cloth bags weren’t popular with shopkeepers, as they found customers were buying only what they could fit into their bag, which often meant spending less money.
In 1933, the most commonly used plastic, polyethylene, was discovered by Reginald Gibson and Eric Fawcett, of Imperial Chemical Industries in Northwich. It was made by chance, as they experimented with new and durable materials - the mix was inadvertently contaminated by oxygen, creating a new kind of waxy white material.
In the 1950s, the first patent applications were submitted in the US and Europe for plastic carrier bags. The designs resembled today’s bags for life, with handles fastened onto the bag during a separate manufacturing process.
In 1959, Sten Gustaf Thulin, a Swedish engineer, began experimenting to make a simple one-piece plastic bag, as he was concerned by the deforestation caused by paper bag production. By 1965, he had perfected his invention, and the one-piece plastic bag went into wide scale production.
Rise and fall of plastic bags
Ironically, Thulin invented the plastic bag to save the planet, rather than harm it, according to his son, Raoul Thulin. Speaking to the Independent newspaper in 2019, Thulin Jnr said his father expected people to keep the sturdy bags to use them time and time again. He always carried one folded up in his pocket to reuse when needed and thought the idea of people simply throwing away plastic bags after one use was “bizarre”.
Unfortunately, the public didn’t see it this way. In 1979, single-use plastic bags made up 80% of Europe’s bag market, with the United States and the rest of the world following the same trend.
By the late 20th century, single-use plastic bags, although a convenient, cheap and lightweight solution, had also become a major cause of pollution in our oceans. They endangered ecosystems, marine life and ultimately human health.
Plastic bags will degrade into minute microplastics over time, making them easy to ingest by fish that can end up on our dinner table. Wildlife can also become entangled in bag handles, resulting in a slow and painful death.
The single-use plastic bag has spiked the global plastic pollution issue. When researcher Charles Moore discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 1997, it sent shockwaves across the world. Covering an estimated area of 1.6 million sq. km, it comprises a vast amount of plastic waste and marine litter floating around in the ocean.
Which countries ban plastic bags?
In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country to introduce a single-use plastic bag ban, after realising they were clogging the drainage system and worsening flooding. During the next two decades, other countries also implemented their own ban including Kenya, Thailand and Rwanda, according to data from Planet Patrol.
In 2018, a study by the United Nations Environment Programme found 127 of 192 nations had launched some kind of legislation to combat the issue of single-use plastic bags.
In 2019, the EU Directive relating to single-use plastic was launched as the organisation pledged to lead the battle against marine plastic pollution.
Since the British government clamped down on plastic bags being distributed free by retailers, the number of single-use carrier bags being used in supermarkets has decreased by around 95%. However, small and medium-sized businesses are lagging behind and the government says they have not yet reached their target of an 80% reduction.
Can you recycle plastic bags?
Yes, they can be recycled, so householders must remember not to simply throw them in the waste bin after use. Some supermarkets have recycling collection points for plastic bags and other plastic wrappers at the front of the store.
The Recycle Now website has a postcode checker so you can find out where your nearest recycling collection point is for plastic bags. Sadly, this practice isn’t widespread at present.
What alternatives can people use?
Biodegradable bags are an eco-friendly alternative to single-use plastic bags. They are made from bioplastics, which are designed to break down into small parts. These will be converted into carbon dioxide under the right environmental conditions. The aim is that they should biodegrade completely within six months to meet the European Standard EN 13432.
Other alternatives include using hemp bags, compostable bags and reusable plastic bags.
Some shoppers prefer to take plastic stacking storage crates that can be used time and time again on trips to the supermarket. They can transfer purchases from the trolley straight into a sturdy box in the car boot.