Plastic bag waste recycling is actually better for the environment than using paper or cotton bags, according to government figures exclusively revealed by the Independent on Sunday.
Details of a report by the Environment Agency indicate that a single HDPE plastic bag has a baseline equivalent carbon footprint of 1.57 kg, which falls to 1.4 kg if reused once.
In order for a cotton bag to achieve just the baseline would require it to be used at least 171 times – more than double the average number of times users tend to use them.
Speaking to the newspaper, Packaging and Films Association (PIFA) chief executive Barry Turner explained: "If these are the conclusions that have arrived at it wouldn't really surprise me.
"It was buried because it didn't give the right answers. It doesn’t support the political thrust at the moment."
PIFA and the Carrier Bag Consortium have consistently argued that plastic bags are the more environmentally friendly option for the retail industry.
Typical Guttridge equipment used in the waste recycling industry includes; Elevators – bucket elevators – valves
