As a substitute for ordinary plastic shopping bags, degradable plastic bags play a positive role in improving the environment. However, if degradable plastic bag products fail to meet national standards, they may also have an impact on the environment. In order to effectively maintain consumer health and safety, in accordance with the risk monitoring requirements of "early detection, early warning, and early disposal", and based on online public opinion and consumer complaints, the Sichuan Provincial Market Supervision Bureau recently conducted product quality and safety risk monitoring for degradable plastic bag products, and issued consumption tips to remind consumers to be cautious about consumption and safe use.
Biodegradable plastic bags are plastic shopping bags made from films made from biodegradable plastic resins and processed through bag making processes such as heat bonding or adhesive bonding. Biodegradable plastic bags mainly include: polylactic acid+polyadipic acid/butylene terephthalate blend (PLA+PBAT), polylactic acid+polyadipic acid/butylene terephthalate+starch blend (PLA+PBAT+St), polylactic acid+polyadipic acid/butylene terephthalate+calcium carbonate blend (PLA+PBAT - CaCO3), etc. Biodegradable plastic shopping bags commonly used in daily life are also divided into food contact bags and non food contact bags.
According to risk monitoring, the main quality and safety risks of degradable plastic bags are that the relative biodegradability index does not meet the requirements of national standards, and the main hazards include:
Affecting crop growth. Waste plastic products with a relative biodegradation rate that does not meet the standard requirements continue to accumulate in the soil, affecting the absorption of nutrients and water by crops, resulting in crop yield reduction, and affecting the sustainable use of land. Domestic garbage mixed with plastic whose relative biodegradation rate does not meet the standard requirements is not suitable for composting. It is necessary to sort out waste plastic from the garbage, increasing the cost of composting.
Posing a threat to the survival of animals. Wasted plastic products whose relative biodegradation rate does not meet the standard requirements that people casually discard are ingested by animals as food, which can easily lead to animal poisoning or death due to the fact that the ingested plastic remains in the stomach for a long time and is difficult to digest.
High temperature environments can decompose toxic substances. Plastic products do not contain toxic substances, but recycled plastic products do not meet national standards due to inadequate recycling equipment, simple processes, and indicators such as relative biodegradability. Recycled plastic products can release toxic substances when the temperature reaches 65 ℃. If used in food related products, they can seep into food, easily causing harm to human health, etc.