This text originally appeared in our December 2007 newsletter.

In the news, over the past few months, you may have read about forward-thinking populations, from Quebec's Huntingdon and Amqui to the entire country of Uganda, that have banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic bags. These moves have also sparked debate in the environmental community as to whether or not popular alternatives such as biodegradable bags are the best solution.

Since they came on the market, La Maison Verte has promoted alternatives to plastic, including "additive-based" garbage bags that claim to be biodegradable, and corn-based compostable bags. After questions from a few members attracted our attention, we looked into the matter and discovered that these bags come with their own sets of social and environmental problems.

Although the clear, sturdy bags we carried from Natursac were marked "biodegradable," we found out the correct term is "oxydegradable." This means they contain additives that cause the tissue to break down into smaller pieces when exposed to the correct light, heat and air conditions. These bags are still made from fossil fuel, which contributes to global warming. When they do eventually break down into miniscule pieces, this invisible, non-biodegradable waste stays in the environment as a pollutant.

Corn-based plastic (for example, kitchen, compost and doggy bags from Bio Bag) is another alternative. It is actually biodegradable and compostable, meaning the material will break down into small pieces that can be absorbed by microorganisms and transformed into CO2, H2O, energy and neutral residues. It seems like a step in the right direction, but as these bags become more mainstream, it will take more and more valuable agricultural land to produce enough corn to make them. With the world facing a growing food crisis, the ethics of this type of production is called into question.

In the move away from conventional plastic products, let's not loose sight of the bigger goal: pollution-reduction! By improving our recycling program, and starting regular compost collection like the borough of Cote-St-Luc recently did, we could reduce the need for more plastic garbage bags. We could also follow the lead of countries like Switzerland, who impose per-use fees for waste collection so people are more careful about what they buy and throw out. In Swiss grocery stores, you can remove the packaging from the products you buy and leave it for the store to deal with. In Germany, companies are held responsible for the packaging materials they produce. This has lead businesses to be creative about how they package things, using the least material possible.

There are pros and cons to any product, but there's always a better choice if you have enough information. While we decide which bags to promote, and which bags to stop carrying, we'll keep monitoring the debate and working towards finding the best solutions. What do you think? Share your ideas, opinions, tips and comments below!

Here are some of the comments we've received by email:

Bonjour,

J'ai lu votre article sur les sacs biodégradables et je dois vous dire que je me suis longtemps questionné sur leur empreinte écologique également. J'en étais venue à la même conclusion que vous décidemment! Par contre, bien que je recycle et que je composte, j'ai quand meme opté pour les Natursac pour mes déchets. Ces sacs sont faits ici et même s'ils ne sont peut-être pas la meilleur sollution, ils ne contiennent pas de colorant contrairement à certains autres sacs en plastiques ou en maïs. De plus, les sacs en maïs sont faits de l'autre coté du continent et sont aussi aditionnés de TDPA qui lui est un produit breveté en Colombie-Britannique aidant à la décomposition. Aussi, le mater-bi, semble être fait dans un autre pays que les sacs Biobag...au bout du compte, les Biobag ont faits le tour de la planète avant d'arriver au Québec! Difficile de trouver la meilleure sollution et comme vous dites, essayons de réduire le plus possible nos déchets!!

Salutations
Isabella P.
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Hi there COOP members and staff,
Well, I bought some of these Natursac bags and I still have some left. Too bad the company didn't tell you beforehand how they really were made. I am really disappointed that these alternative plastic bags are just as bad as the usual plastic bags. What should I do with the rest of them ? BTW, given the choice, I'd buy the corn Bio-bag alternative, which seems less damageable for the environment. If possible, I'd even go so far as trading the rest of the Natursac bags for the latter.

Norman
p.s. With this info, perhaps It'd be a good idea to change suppliers and get rid of these Natursac bags.
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Further to the article in your latest newsletter, I go through a lot of garbage bags because I have three indoor cats, which generates quite a bit of soiled litter. I use the scoopable kind and am not sure it's a good idea to dispose of the clumps in the toilet. A much more direct solution is to toilet train one's cat. Has this subject been dealt with yet in your newsletter? There are a few books detailing how to do it, and info can also be found on various websites, such as http://www.karawynn.net/mishacat/toilet.html.

Keep up the good work!

Janet
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Bonjour,
S'il y avait moyen d'acheter et de consever longtemps de solides sacs fabriqués en matières recyclées. Je crois que ce serit idéal, non? Surtout si les sacs en question sont faciles à nettoyer au besoin. Savez-vous si ça se fait? Et si oui, est-ce que ces sacs sont relativement abordables?
Merci!

Joëlle-Annie
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Hi everybody,

Just read your piece on biodegradable garbage bags and I do have a comment. Like the debate on flourescent lighting, this is not a black and white issue. I recently bought a box of corn-based garbage bags from the Co-op, but when I got home I noticed that it says that the bags should be changed every 3 days! But I live alone and it takes me on average one month to fill a plastic grocery bag full of garbage (I compost and recycle and don't use a lot of packaged stuff). And these Biobags are two times bigger! What happens after three days? If they start breaking down that fast, I will have to use many more and it seems even more wasteful than using the little grocery bags I am using now.
It seems sometimes the "solution" brings with it its own set of new problems.

For now, I am going to give my box of biobags to my neighbour, who generates an amazing quantity of garbage, and I will stick with the plastic grocery bags, which seem to multiply in the cupboard under my sink. This is another of life's mysteries because I very rarely forget my handy backpack or cloth grocery bag when going shopping....

Ciao for now!

Janis W.
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(En email on the same topic that was sent to us last May)

Réaction au bulletin de printemps:

Je ne crois pas que les sacs biodégradables ou fragmentables soient une bonne solution. Peu de gens connaissent la différence en les deux et au Québec, on nous propose plus souvent qu'autrement le défragmentable (néosac), qui est probablement pire que le sac traditionnel car il parcème d'infimes particules toxiques dans la terre qui sont ensuite assimilés par les plantes et légumes que nous mangeons.

Ensuite, les sacs biodégradables en amidon de maïs ont un impact négatif précisément par la problématique que soulève aujourd'hui le maïs : monoculture, OGM, très consommateur d'engrais, de pesticides, et d'eau.

Le second inconvénient est son prix ! : c'est aujourd'hui une société italienne qui est leader sur le marché mondial et qui fixe les prix suivant la demande."

Être responsable est à mon avis la seul solution.

Nancy R.

Sources:
http://www.fne.asso.fr/preventiondechets/dossiers/dossiers2.htm

http://www.eco-echos.com/dotclear/index.php?2005/10/18/31-du-sac-biodegradable

http://www.agrisalon.com/06-actu/article-12123.php

http://www.novethic.fr/novethic/site/article/index.jsp?id=91653
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