Goodbye free bags: when going green comes at a price
Paid plastic bags have sent spending on thick bin liners soaring. We look at cheap, eco-friendly alternatives: biodegradable bags, composting and re
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Alternatives to plastic bags: eco-friendly, cheap or pure hype?
The paradox has come true. Supermarkets started charging for plastic bags to encourage recycling, and the result is that many households are now buying heavier-duty bin bags which, by the most basic calculations, pollute more than the old ones and miccionan a fixed extra expense. The question is whether there is an alternative that is both cheap and environmentally friendly, or whether we are doomed to pay more just to feel less guilty.
Biodegradable bags: the 1-euro quick fix
Bags made from potato starch, which break down in a matter of months, are already on the market. A roll of 30 costs around 1 euro, an affordable cost for small households that generate mostly organic waste. The problem, as the most critical analyses point out, is that these bags only cover the organic fraction: the rest (paper, cardboard, packaging, glass) can go straight into the bin without a bag, under the rules in many local areas. However, this is not allowed everywhere: in Málaga, for example, throwing rubbish into the bin without a bag is prohibited, and washing out the bucket every day is hardly practical.
Reducing waste, the real solution (but not for everyone)
For those with the space, home composting eliminates the bin bag problem at the root: organic scraps turn into fertiliser and no bags are needed. Worms are allies in this process. But in a flat with no garden, composting for weeks with the smell of rot and the worms is unworkable, no matter how much some people defend worm bins or electric disposals. The latter, such as the TRITUSAN model with a 25-year lifespan, can grind up waste and send it down the sink, but they spark debate about their real impact on sewage treatment plants.
The bread-bag and penny-pinching hack
The most low-cost option is to reuse the bags from products we already buy: sliced bread bags, muffin bags, produce bags... They are small, but for one or two days' worth of organic waste they are enough. All you need is a mini bin made from a tetra brik. This solution, described by some as stingy, clashes with the convenience of buying ready-made rolls. The fact is that, in the end, environmental awareness comes at a price, and if you don't have a garden, tough luck.
What about biogas?
On an industrial scale, plants such as the one in Kristianstad (Sweden) convert organic waste into biogas through a biological process. But for the average citizen, that solution sounds like distant science fiction.
The big question remains up in the air: will we really reduce plastic bags, or will we just switch to a different type of plastic, paying more for the same problem?
Related discussions in the forum
The paradox has come true. Supermarkets started charging for plastic bags to encourage recycling, and the result is that many households are now buying heavier-duty bin bags which, by the most basic calculations, pollute more than the old ones and miccionan a fixed extra expense. The question is whether there is an alternative that is both cheap and environmentally friendly, or whether we are doomed to pay more just to feel less guilty.
Biodegradable bags: the 1-euro quick fix
Bags made from potato starch, which break down in a matter of months, are already on the market. A roll of 30 costs around 1 euro, an affordable cost for small households that generate mostly organic waste. The problem, as the most critical analyses point out, is that these bags only cover the organic fraction: the rest (paper, cardboard, packaging, glass) can go straight into the bin without a bag, under the rules in many local areas. However, this is not allowed everywhere: in Málaga, for example, throwing rubbish into the bin without a bag is prohibited, and washing out the bucket every day is hardly practical.
Reducing waste, the real solution (but not for everyone)
For those with the space, home composting eliminates the bin bag problem at the root: organic scraps turn into fertiliser and no bags are needed. Worms are allies in this process. But in a flat with no garden, composting for weeks with the smell of rot and the worms is unworkable, no matter how much some people defend worm bins or electric disposals. The latter, such as the TRITUSAN model with a 25-year lifespan, can grind up waste and send it down the sink, but they spark debate about their real impact on sewage treatment plants.
The bread-bag and penny-pinching hack
The most low-cost option is to reuse the bags from products we already buy: sliced bread bags, muffin bags, produce bags... They are small, but for one or two days' worth of organic waste they are enough. All you need is a mini bin made from a tetra brik. This solution, described by some as stingy, clashes with the convenience of buying ready-made rolls. The fact is that, in the end, environmental awareness comes at a price, and if you don't have a garden, tough luck.
What about biogas?
On an industrial scale, plants such as the one in Kristianstad (Sweden) convert organic waste into biogas through a biological process. But for the average citizen, that solution sounds like distant science fiction.
The big question remains up in the air: will we really reduce plastic bags, or will we just switch to a different type of plastic, paying more for the same problem?
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (18 replies).
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