This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at Aimplas recomienda reutilizar las bolsas de plástico en las compras navideñas

Aimplas recommends reuse plastic in the Christmas shopping bags

27/12/2010

December 27, 2010

The technological Institute of plastics (Aimplas) recommends reuse the bags of one single use at least fifteen times before being recycled, as well as the use of biodegradable bags. Aimplas adapts well to the Integrated National Plan of waste (PNIR) on the plastic bags, approved in 2009, and whose objective is to promote a policy suitable in the management of waste, decreasing its generation and encouraging a correct treatment of the samefollow the phases of prevention, reuse, recycling, valuation and disposal.

The PNIR includes halving the use of a single use in 2010 plastic bags and removed, starting in 2011, the non biodegradable disposable plastic bag. According to the figures handled by Aimplas, 75% has reduced the use of plastic bags in a single use in recent years in Spain, with a consumption of approximately 10.5 billion bags that are equivalent to about 100,000 tons of plastic per year. Of this figure, only 10% is recycled.

Faced with this situation, the Institute has participated in the Group of bags of the Committee for standardisation of containers and packaging, which has developed a standard for the certification of the plastic bag reusable, which will be larger than at present and with a life cycle that supports at least 15 uses.

Says Ana Pascual, responsible for laboratory container Aimplas, "reusable plastic bags have better mechanical properties than the current ones and are designed to make its last use as a bag for organic waste and plastic"", or to be collected in the yellow container for subsequent recycling".

In a manner complementary to the reusable plastic bag, Aimplas is working on the development of the stock exchange of biodegradable plastic, which can be produced from renewable sources such as starch from potato, corn, or peas, or petroleum products. In both cases these bags are able to decompose by the action of microorganisms producing environmentally harmless substances.

"The management of waste from these biodegradable plastic bags will be different depending on their ability to be disposed of along with organic waste to its composting". "This kind of bags must end its life in a composting plant and after a maximum of six months, will decompose it giving a manure or compost, which can be used in agricultural crops or gardens, being then a true valorisation"says Ana Pascual.