Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Plastic Bags Project
Plastic Bags Project
STANDLEY
NATHAN
JAMES
BO
XIAO
CARBON
NEUTRALITY
UNST
421
SPRING
2010
THE
PLASTIC
BAG
PROJECT
Our
group
challenged
itself
to
find
a
way
to
reduce
disposable
bag
usage
on
the
Portland
State
campus.
We
researched
the
usage
of
disposable
bags
at
select
retailers
and
researched
the
carbon
emissions
from
these
bags
from
production
and
transportation.
Based
on
our
research
we
came
up
with
a
proposal
to
reduce
the
usage
of
these
disposable
bags.
Lastly,
we
surveyed
Portland
State
students
on
usage
and
possible
effects
of
our
proposal.
INTRODUCTION
What
are
plastic
bags;
a
convenience,
a
nuisance,
a
problem,
dangerous?
They
are
all
of
the
above.
They
were
made
for
convenience,
they
are
now
and
nuisance
because
of
the
unbelievable
numbers
that
are
used
and
produced
per
year.
They
are
a
problem
because
they
take
nearly
1000
years
or
more
to
break
down
and
they
also
require
the
use
of
petroleum,
crude
oils,
and
1
natural
gases
which
are
non-renewable
resources .
And
they
are
dangerous
for
our
environment
because
of
the
energy
and
carbon
emissions
they
make
during
the
production
and
distribution.
They
also
are
responsible
for
over
100,000
sea
turtle
and
other
marine
animal
deaths.
These
animals
ingest
them
because
they
mistake
them
for
food
and
they
get
entangled
in
them
because
these
bags
2
are
flooding
their
waters .
HISTORY
The
shopping
plastic
bag
first
made
its
way
into
our
life
for
convenience
when
retailing
stores
like
JC
Penny
and
Sears
switched
to
plastic
merchandise
bags
in
1974
after
the
first
commercial
manufacturers
for
the
plastic
grocery
bag
was
introduced
in
1973.
Shortly
after,
the
plastic
bags
began
to
be
used
in
grocery
stores.
The
plastic
bag
didnt
just
appear
out
of
nowhere.
It
all
began
in
1957
when
bags
for
small
foods
and
sandwiches
were
introduced.
In
1958,
the
brown
paper
bag
was
beginning
to
be
replaced
by
1
plastic
poly
dry
cleaning
bags.
In
1966,
the
plastic
produce
bags
were
introduced
into
grocery
stores .
NUMBERS
What
began
with
small
numbers
has
now
turned
into
a
mind
blowing
over
500,000,000,000
(500
billion)
plus
plastic
merchandise,
grocery,
and
biodegradable
bags
used
annually
worldwide.
That
is
over
1,000,000
used
per
minute.
Some
of
the
biggest
culprits
are
Australia
and
Ireland
per
capita.
Before
they
began
to
make
changes
and
fix
the
problem
it
was
said
that
the
average
in
these
2
3
countries
were
using
around
320
bags
per
person .
Americans
are
around
200
per
person .
TYPES
Petroleum,
crude
oils,
and
natural
gases
are
extracted
from
the
earth
and
used
for
the
production
of
polyethylene.
Polyethylene
is
than
used
to
make
plastic
bags.
Some
types
and
their
uses
are:
4
LLDPE:
Merchandise
bags(not
grocery),
plastic
sheets,
toys
5
LDPE:
Packaging
wraps,
containers
6
HDPE:
Grocery
bags,
bottles,
plastic
lumber,
PVC
7
Biodegradable
plastics
are
another
option
for
plastic
bags,
bottles,
packaging
wraps,
containers .
They
are
produced
with
starches
and
polymers
which
are
earth
friendly.
They
take
9
months
to
five
years
to
biodegrade
and
this
process
does
not
leak
toxins
into
the
earth
like
plastic.
Carbon
is
emitted
during
the
production
phase
of
the
ingredients,
and
distribution,
but
there
are
no
carbon
8
emissions
during
the
biodegrade
stage .
PRODUCTION
It
takes
1.75
kg
of
petroleum
to
make
1
kg
of
HDPE
which
makes
167
bags
grocery
bags.
This
same
amount
of
petroleum
used
will
11
make
0.3
kg
of
LLDPE
or
LDPE
which
makes
around
55
bags.
This
is
enough
petroleum
to
power
a
car
for
12
miles .
With
the
amount
of
bags
made
per
year,
if
we
were
to
stop
the
production
of
the
bags
all
together,
it
would
be
enough
petroleum
to
power
cars
for
around
50,560,696,780.24
(billion)
miles
per
year.
If
1.75
kg
of
petroleum
will
make
167
HDPE
and
power
a
car
for
12
miles,
then
the
amount
of
petroleum
used
to
make
400,000,000,000
(amount
assumed)
HDPE
bags
will
power
a
car
for
28,742,514,970.06
miles.
And
the
amount
of
petroleum
used
to
make
100,000,000,000
(amount
assumed)
LLDPE
bags
will
power
a
car
for
21,818,181,818.18
miles.
TRANSPORTATION
The
transporting
of
these
bags
is
another
reason
why
the
bags
are
dangerous
for
our
environment.
According
to
a
LCA
(Life
Cycle
Analysis)
done
in
2002,
67%
of
HDPE
bags
are
coming
from
Hong
Kong,
34%
of
LDPE
and
LLDPE
are
coming
from
Hong
Kong,
and
9
100%
of
biodegradable
bags
are
coming
from
Italy
(the
numbers
of
manufacturers
for
biodegradable
bags
have
increased
since
this
study).
These
numbers
means
that
some
bags
are
traveling
around
7000
miles
just
to
get
to
us
in
America.
END
OF
LIFE
At
the
end
of
the
life
of
the
plastic
bags
is
the
worst
part
of
the
problem
with
the
plastic
bag.
For
the
plastic
grocery
bag,
they
are
able
to
be
recycled
at
local
grocery
stores.
These
are
than
used
for
the
making
of
plastic
lumber
and
more
plastic
bags,
but
only
1-5%
10
of
these
actually
make
it
to
the
grocery
stores
for
recycling .
The
LLDPE
and
LLDPE
bags
do
not
have
a
recycling
program.
They
are
9
just
thrown
away.
The
LCA
done
in
2002
brings
the
end
of
life
assumptions
into
perspective :
HDPE
75.5%
in
landfill
1-3%
recycled
.5%
littered
19%
reused
LLDPE/LDPE
80.5%
in
landfill
0%
recycled
.5%
littered
19%
reused
BIODEGRADABLE
70.5%
in
landfill
10%
compost
.5%
littered
19%
reused
PORTLAND
STATE
UNIVERSITY
At
Portland
State
University
the
Biodegradable
bags
are
being
used
at
both
the
Student
store
and
the
Green
Line
store
on
campus.
At
the
Bookstore,
they
use
the
LLDPE
because
of
its
thickness
and
ability
to
carry
extra
weight.
Here
are
the
locations
of
the
distributor
and
manufacturers
of
the
bags
used
at
PSU.
12
Green
Line:
-Use
approx.
10,000
to
20,000
biodegradable
bags
per
year
-ECM
Biofilms
Located
in
California
and
manufactured
in
Ohio
-Ohio
to
California
=
approx.
2,000
miles
-California
to
Oregon
=
approx.
800
miles
13
Student
Store:
-Use
approx.
3,000
biodegradable
bags
per
year
-Trellis
Earth
bags
Located
in
Portland
and
manufactured
in
China
-China
to
Oregon
=
approx.
7,000
miles
14
Book
Store:
-Use
approx.
50,000
to
LLDPE
bags
per
year
-Roplast
Industries
Located
and
manufactured
in
California
(800
miles)
CARBON
EMISSIONS
OF
PLASTIC
BAGS
16
According
to,
Time
for
Change ,
for
each
kg
of
Polyethylene
produced,
6kg
of
CO2
will
be
emitted
(2kg
of
oil
for
energy
and
raw
material,
and
for
each
kg
of
oil
creates
3kg
of
CO2).
In
order
to
determine
the
amount
of
CO2
emitted
for
the
production
of
the
LLDPE
bags
used
at
PSU
we
look
at
information
stated
earlier
which
said
that
1kg
of
petroleum
will
produce
0.3kg
of
LLDPE
and
this
will
make
around
55
bags.
The
PSU
bookstore
uses
50,000
bags
per
year.
If
0.3kg
of
LLDPE
=
55
bags
than
272.73
kg
of
LLDPE
=
50,000
bags
272.73
x
6
=
1636.36kg
(3607.5
lbs)
of
CO2
emitted
272.73/0.3
=
909.1kg
of
petroleum
used
12
According
to,
ECM
Biofilms
website,
only
during
the
production
phase
of
the
corns
and
starches
do
their
bags
produce
any
carbon
emissions.
This
is
not
totally
truthful.
They
fail
to
mention
how
much
energy
is
used
for
packaging
and
transportation.
15
Ton
mile
is
a
term
that
is
used
by
Carbon
Fund
which
states
that
a
ton
of
freight
traveling
one
mile
is
a
ton
mile.
This
term
is
used
to
determine
the
amount
of
CO2
that
is
being
emitted
for
a
type
of
transport.
Air
Cargo
=
1.7739
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM
Truck
=
0.325
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM
Train
=
0.2306
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM
Sea
Freight
=
0.0087
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM
Zeppelin
=
0.1957
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM
According
to
Sustainability
Victoria,
the
weight
in
grams
of
the
LLDPE
is
18g
and
5g
for
the
biodegradable
bags.
With
the
miles
we
have
for
travel
and
the
weight
of
the
bags
without
the
information
of
the
package
material,
we
can
get
a
rough
estimate
of
the
carbon
emissions
of
just
the
transportation
of
plastic
bags
for
PSU.
We
can
assume
this
is
a
one
trip
transaction
and
the
only
thing
being
hauled.
Bookstore:
50,000
LLDPE
bags
traveling
800
miles,
assuming
by
truck.
50,000
x
18g
=
900,000g
this
is
1984.131
lbs
(1
ton)
Truck
travel
emits
0.325
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM.
800miles
x
0.325
=
260
lbs
of
CO2
emitted.
Greenline:
3,000
bio
bags
traveling
2,800
miles.
2,000
by
plane,
800
by
truck.
3,000
x
5g
=
15,000g
this
is
33.07
lbs
(0.015
tons)
Plane
travel
emits
1.7739
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM.
2,000
miles
x
1.7739
=
3547.8
lbs
of
CO2
multiplied
by
0.015
because
the
weight
was
less
than
a
ton.
3547.8
x
0.015
=
53.22
lbs
of
CO2
emitted
800
miles
x
0.325
=
260
x
0.015
=
3.9
lbs
of
CO2
emitted.
53.22+3.9
=
57.31
lbs
of
CO2
emitted.
Student
Store:
10,000
to
20,000
bio
bags
traveling
7,000
miles,
assuming
by
plane.
10,000
x
5g
=
50,000g
this
is
110.23
lbs
(0.05
tons)
Plane
travel
emits
1.7739
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM.
7,000
miles
x
1.7739
=
12,417.3
lbs
of
CO2
multiplied
by
0.05
because
the
weight
was
less
than
a
ton.
12,417.3
x
0.05
=
620.87
lbs
of
CO2
emitted.
If
20,000
bags
than
1241.74
lbs
of
CO2
emitted.
~Assumption
with
sea
freight:
50,000g
(0.05
tons)
Sea
freight
travel
emits
0.0087
lbs
of
CO2
per
TM.
7,000
miles
x
0.0087
=
60.9
lbs
of
CO2
multiplied
by
0.05
because
the
weight
was
less
than
a
ton.
60.9
x
0.05
=
3.045
lbs
of
CO2
emitted.
If
20,000
bags
than
6.09
lbs
of
CO2
emitted.
Carbon
Emissions
from
Plastic
bags
The
biodegradable
bags
from
the
Student
Store
in
the
Smith
Building
are
manufactured
in
China,
while
biodegradable
bags
from
the
Green
Line
are
made
in
Ohio.
The
Student
Store
consumes
an
average
of
15,000
bags
annually.
The
Green
Line
just
opened
in
January
and
has
uses
about
250
bags
each
month.
Thus,
the
projected
annual
usage
of
bags
is
about
3,000.
The
annual
consumption
of
bags
for
both
stores
is
total
18,000.
Since
the
weight
of
bag
is
5
grams
,
then
the
total
number
of
bags
in
pounds
both
stores
use
is
198.42
each
year.
According
to
a
study
by
Center
for
Design
at
RMIT
University
in
Australia,
4.96
kg
of
carbon
dioxide
emits
through
the
usage
of
electricity
and
fuel
in
order
to
produce
4.21
kg
of
starch-
17
polyester .
By
assuming
a
linear
relationship
between
carbon
dioxide
emission
and
the
consumption
of
bags,
the
carbon
emission
for
both
stores
is
234
lbs
per
year.
Nitrous
oxide
releases
in
the
growing
process
in
the
crops
and
methane
emits
in
landfill,
however;
both
emission
of
nitrous
oxide
and
methane
is
a
small
fraction
of
total
green
house
gas
compared
to
18
carbon
dioxide .
Although
the
components
of
biodegradables
bags
(made
in
Italy)
in
Australia
may
be
different
than
the
one
both
stores
currently
use
(made
in
China),
the
larger
fraction
of
green
house
gas
is
still
carbon
dioxide
in
both
cases.
Table
1
The
respective
number
of
carbon
emission
of
bags
for
each
store
due
to
production
Student
Store
+Green
Line
Book
(lbs)
Store(lbs)
Total
(lbs)
234
3607.5
3841.5
Figure
1
Annual
carbon
dioxide
emission
of
bags
during
the
production
process
In
Figure
1,
Book
Store
has
the
most
the
carbon
emission
of
bags
due
to
production
(3607.b
lbs)
while
the
combined
carbon
emission
of
Student
Store
and
Green
line
is
only
234
lbs
per
year.
First,
the
plastic
bags
of
Book
Store
are
LDPE
that
needs
more
energy
to
production
and
results
in
more
carbon
emission,
while
both
Student
Store
and
Green
Line
use
biodegradable
bags
which
are
made
from
starch-polyester
and
results
in
less
carbon
emission.
The
total
annual
carbon
emission
for
three
stores
is
3925.5
lbs.
Table
2
The
carbon
emission
of
bags
due
to
transportation
for
three
stores
Green
Line
Student
Store
Book
Store
Total
(lbs)
(lbs)
(lbs)
(lbs)
57.31
1241.74
260
1559.05
Figure
2
Annual
carbon
dioxide
emissions
of
bags
due
to
transportation
phase.
In
Figure
2,
Green
Line
has
the
least
amount
of
carbon
emission
due
to
transportation
(57.31
lbs).
Book
Store
comes
in
second
with
260
lbs
and
Student
Store
has
the
highest
amount
of
carbon
emission
(1241.74
lbs).
The
total
carbon
emission
for
three
stores
is
1559.05
lbs.
The
biodegradable
bags
(15,000)
of
Student
Store
are
purchased
from
a
company
called
19
Trellis
Earth
who
obtains
the
bags
from
China
.
Thus,
it
take
a
very
long
flying
mileages
(7,000
miles)
The
bags
of
both
Green
Line
and
Bookstore(53,000)
are
manufactured
in
the
U.S
and
are
most
by
truck
and
part
of
it
by
airplane,
which
has
short
traveling
mileages.
Table
3
The
total
carbon
emission
of
bags
for
the
stores
Production
Transportation
Total
(lbs)
(lbs)
(lbs)
3841.5
1559.05
5400.5
Figure
3
Total
carbon
emissions
for
three
stores
each
year.
In
Figure
3,
the
production
of
bags
emits
3841.5
lbs
carbon
dioxide
while
the
transportation
of
those
bags
results
in
1559.05
lbs
carbon
emission.
The
total
carbon
emission
for
three
stores
is
5400.05
lbs
each
year.
One
reason
the
carbon
emission
due
to
production
is
more
than
the
transportation
is
that
the
number
of
bags
of
Book
Stores
use
each
year
is
50,000(3
times
of
more
bags
than
the
other
two
stores)
and
LDPE.
IMPLEMENTATION
OF
CHARGE
FOR
BAGS
IN
OTHER
PLACES
In
Washington,
D.C.
starting
this
year
a
five
cent
fee
was
placed
on
disposable
bags.
In
the
first
month,
estimated
20
bag
usage
went
from
an
estimated
22
million
per
month
to
an
estimated
three
million.
We
propose
implementing
a
similar
fee
at
the
Student
Store,
Green
Line
Market
and
the
Portland
State
Bookstore.
SURVEY
A
survey
was
conducted
with
100
students
as
follows:
Do
you
use
plastic
bags
from
the
bookstore?_________
If
no,
what
do
you
use?
Back
pack,
tote,
arms,
shoulder
bag?_________(finished)
If
yes,
would
you
continue
to
use
the
bags
if
you
had
to
pay
$0.05
for
them?________(continue)
How
many
bags
would
you
say
you
use
per
term?________
What
do
you
do
with
the
bags
after
you
are
done
with
them?
Reuse
for
trash
liner
Throw
away
into
trash
Litter
Other
Results:
(26,000
students
enrolled)
62%
claim
to
not
use
bags
(16,120
students)
o 50%
use
backpacks
o 19%
use
totes
o 19%
carry
books
and
supplies
o 12%
use
shoulder
bags
38%
of
students
at
PSU
use
bags
and
with
an
average
of
2
bags
per
student
used
per
term
(6
per
year).
Calculated
out,
this
is
in
line
with
known
usage.
Our
survey
numbers
calculate
out
to
approximately
59,280
bags
per
year
used
at
the
bookstore.
44%
of
students
could
pay
the
$0.05
and
continue
to
use
the
bags
56%
of
students
claim
they
would
discontinue
their
use
which
would
decrease
the
amount
of
bags
used
down
to
26,083
bags
per
year.
Disposal
after
use
shows:
o 37%
reuse
as
trash
liner
o 31%
throw
away
o 13%
reuse
for
cat
litter
o 13%
reuse
as
bags
o 6%
recycle
o 0%
litter
POSSIBLE
CHANGES
FOR
PSU
WITH
CHARGE
Based
on
the
survey,
the
proposed
fee
would
lead
to
a
reduction
of
disposable
bag
usage
down
to
approximately
26,000
per
year.
The
fee
would
generate
$1,300
dollars
annually
that
could
go
towards
funding
carbon
saving
projects
Carbon
emissions
from
disposable
bag
usage
from
these
retailers
would
drop
by
more
than
half
PATH
TO
IMPLEMENTATION
The
Student
Store
in
Smith
has
a
contract
with
ASPSU.
ASPSU
negotiates
retailer
contracts
every
two
years
and
could
implement
the
fee.
The
Green
Line
Market
could
choose
to
implement
the
fee
internally.
The
Portland
State
Bookstore
is
a
private
non-profit.
It
too
could
choose
to
implement
the
fee
internally.
This
is
Money.
The
Life
Cycle
of
a
Plastic
Bag.
Daily
Mail:
February
27,
2008.
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/consumer/caring/article.html?in_article_id=431217&in_page_id=511
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linear_low-density_polyethylene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/low-density_polyethylene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/high-density_polyethylene
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/biodegradeable_plastic
Nolan-ITU
Pty
Ltd.
Biodegradable
Plastics
Developments
and
Environmental
Impacts.
ExcelPlas
Australia:
October
2002.
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/
publications/waste/degradables/biodegradable/chapter1.html
Sustainability
Victoria.
Comparison
of
Existing
Life
Cycle
Analysis
of
Shopping
Bag
alternatives.
Report
#1.
Page
10,11.
Table
3-2.
April
18,
2007
10
20
Craig, Tim (2010). Retrieved May 30, 2010 D.C. bag tax collects $150,000 in January for river cleanup
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/29/AR2010032903336.html?sub=AR