What is a plastic bag? Plastic bag is also known as a poly bag or pouch, is a container made of a thin, flexible plastic film materials, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile which are being used to make different plastic bags. A Plastic bags can be used to store and transport a wide range of items, such as food, produce, powders, ice, magazines, chemicals, and waste. It's a common type of product packaging. Most plastic bag seams are hermetically sealed with heat, while others are bonded with adhesives or stitched. Because plastic does not degrade completely, it continues to be a source of indefinite pollution and negative environmental effects, prompting many countries to pass legislation prohibiting the use of lightweight plastic bags. Every year, approximately one to five trillion plastic bags are used once and then discarded around the world. Plastic bags have a 12-minute lifespan, starting at the point of sale and ending at the destination. In 2014, the average person in the United States of America used approximately 320 bags during the year. There are a variety of design options and features to choose from. 
Some bags have gussets that allow for more volume, while others have special stand-up pouches that can stand up on a shelf or in a refrigerator, and still others have options that are either easy to open or can be closed again. Some have handles cut into them, while others have handles added to them. A wide range of plastic films can be used in the manufacture of bags. Polyethylene is the most common type of plastic and comes in a variety of forms. When the required physical properties are present, other forms, such as laminates or co-extrusions, may be required. Plastics used in single-use bag production are almost always derived from fossil fuels. The third of July is designated as International Plastic Bag-Free Day. Plastic bags are frequently referred to as "reduced or minimized packaging" because they require less material than other types of packaging, such as boxes, cartons, or jars. In June 2009, the German Institute for Energy and Environmental Research concluded that compostable plastics have a worse life-cycle analysis than oil-based plastics, particularly when the recycled version of the compostable plastic is used. They went on to say that "current bioplastic bags have less favorable environmental impact profiles than the other materials examined," and that this is due to the method used to produce the raw materials. Some plastic bags are better suited for recycling than others, depending on their composition. They could be burned in facilities dedicated to converting waste products into energy. They do not degrade and pose no risk in sanitary landfills. Plastic bags, on the other hand, have the potential to cause unsightly litter and harm certain species of wildlife if not properly discarded. Plastic bags are difficult to separate, contributing to their low recycling rate. The contamination of the material caused by the 
Plastic bags materials
There are a variety of medical applications for plastic bags and their materials. Plastic films are useful for isolating infectious body fluids because of their non-porous quality. Other porous bags made of nonwoven plastic can be gas sterilized and still maintain their sterility. Because the bags are able to be produced in conditions that are controlled and sterile, they can be used in settings where there is a risk of contamination being introduced. Because they are both lightweight and flexible, they can be carried by the patient or placed on them without causing the same level of discomfort that would be caused by a heavy glass bottle. They are more cost-effective than alternatives that can be reused, such as glass bottles. Evidence of moderate quality from a systematic review conducted in 2018 demonstrated that the use of plastic wraps or bags prevented hypothermia more effectively than the standard of care, particularly in very preterm infants.
- Wholesale bags
Large industrial containers that are typically utilized for the storage of bulk powders or materials that are flowable are known as Flexible Intermediate Bulk Containers. Typically, they are constructed out of a tightly woven high-strength plastic material. 
- Grocery store bag made of plastic
Article principal: shopping bags made of plastic The use of open bags that have handles for carrying items is common. Convenience to customers is a common reason why stores provide them. There are some stores that impose a nominal charge for the use of a bag. Many people believe that using sturdy shopping bags that can be reused is better for the environment than using paper or plastic shopping bags that are only used once. Concerns about the environment and litter are motivating some communities to work toward eliminating the use of lightweight plastic bags.
- History
- Milk bags
Several varieties of Thai meat products packaged in plastic bags. However, these patent applications relate to a composite construction with handles attached to the bag in a secondary manufacturing process. These patent applications were filed in the United States and Europe in the early 1950s and concern the production of plastic shopping bags. Stan Gustaf Thulin, a Swedish engineer, is the one who came up with the idea for the modern shopping bag that is also lightweight. 
At the beginning of the 1960s, Thulin developed a method for the Celloplast packaging company in Norrkoping, Sweden, to make a straightforward one-piece bag by folding, welding, and die-cutting a flat plastic tube. He did this for the benefit of the company. Celloplast obtained a worldwide patent for Thulin's design in 1965, which resulted in a bag that was straightforward, durable, and able to carry a significant amount of weight. After the middle of the 1980s, carrying one's everyday purchases from the store to one's vehicle and then into the house using a plastic bag became commonplace in the developed world. As plastic bags began to take the place of paper bags and as other plastic materials and products began to displace glass, metal, stone, wood, and other materials, a competition between paper and plastic for use in packaging materials and products began. The controversies surrounding the bags received a great deal of media attention. The "self-opening poly bag stack" was an invention that was patented in 1992 by Sonoco Products Company of Hartsville, South Carolina. The most significant improvement made by this modification is that when one bag is removed from the shelf, the subsequent bag in the stack can be accessed and opened. 
Used materials to make plastic bags
Manufacturers can make plastic bags from used materials and recycled materials as well. It has been estimated that approximately one trillion plastic bags are used just once and then thrown away each year around the world. The prevalence of the use of plastic bags varies greatly from country to country. Although the average Chinese consumer only uses two or three plastic bags in a given year, the numbers are significantly higher in the majority of other countries: Four for Denmark, twenty for Ireland, sixty-five for Germany, and over four hundred each for Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia. The use of plastic bags in grocery stores has been subject to a minimum charge or outright prohibited in a significant number of municipalities and counties in the United States. The first state to do so, California passed a law prohibiting the use of these substances in September of 2014. According to the proposed legislation, local manufacturers of plastic bags would be eligible for financial assistance to assist them in the production of multi-use bags that are more durable and would be sold by grocery stores rather than being given away free of charge as were the plastic bags. Plastic bags with a thickness of less than 50 microns are prohibited by law in India, according to the country's government. Plastic bag use was made illegal in the Canadian city of Montreal in 2018, and the government in Ottawa is expected to follow suit soon. 
What are plastic bags
What distinctive plastic bags from one another? The answer is the materials. Bags are both one of the earliest forms of packaging and one of the most common types. In addition to their many other applications, they are utilized for the storage of food, the packaging and transportation of goods, and the disposal of waste. A plastic bag, also known as a polybag, is a type of container that is made of a thin, flexible film made of plastic and has an opening at one end. Even though it can come in any size, it is commonly referred to as a "sack" if it has the capacity to hold at least 25 kilograms or 50 pounds. They are constructed using a wide variety of components. Paper and polyolefin bags, on the other hand, are without a doubt the most widely used varieties of bags and have the lowest cost per unit. Paper bags are typically bonded and sealed with adhesives, whereas the majority of plastic bags are heat-sealed at the end of the manufacturing process. High density polyethylene, also known as HDPE, is a material that is frequently used in the production of bags (HDPE). This type of plastic is typically milky white or translucent, has excellent puncture, low permeability, and temperature resistance, is more rigid and stronger than LDPE/LLDPE, but it also tears more easily and has a tendency to crinkle. Other desirable characteristics of this plastic include its superior puncture resistance, low permeability, and temperature resistance. This type of plastic is used to make the vast majority of shopping bags, grocery bags, and trash bags sold in the United States. HDPE is frequently selected as an option because of its high strength and low cost. 
- MEDIUM-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (MDPE)
The opacity of medium-density polyethylene is lower than that of high-density polyethylene but higher than that of low-density polyethylene. Bags constructed from this type of plastic are typically more durable than those made from LDPE, but they do not stretch as much. This particular variety of polyethylene is put to use on a much more limited scale than HDPE. Garbage bags and consumer goods packaging are two common applications for it.
- LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (LDPE)
LDPE, also known as low density polyethylene, is yet another widely used type of polyolefin. The bags that are produced using this material are either transparent or white in color. When strength is not an essential factor in the packaging for consumer goods, such as bags for bread, newspapers, frozen food, fresh produce, dry cleaning garments, etc., LDPE is frequently used as the material of choice. Bags made from this material have a high degree of flexibility, making them simple to stretch. In addition, they are transparent and glossy. In addition, they have good tear resistance and good properties as a moisture barrier, but their properties as a gas barrier are only fair.
- LINEAR LOW-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (LLDPE)
The properties of linear low-density polyethylene are comparable to those of LDPE, and it is utilized for the same kinds of applications. Despite this, there are a few key distinctions that set LLDPE apart and make it the material of choice for certain applications. For instance, LLDPE is chosen due to its superior tensile and impact strength as well as its improved heat sealability. On the other hand, LDPE is frequently chosen due to its superior transparency, ease of processing, and superior gloss. The applications of shopping bags, frozen food bags, garbage bags, newspaper bags, and general food bags are among the most important. 
What are the materials to make plastic
We have mentioned some of what are being used as materials in make plastic items.
- POLYPROPYLENE (PP)
Polypropylene (PP) is a thermoplastic material that has a high degree of transparency, a high degree of gloss, good tensile strength, and excellent resistance to both chemicals and heat. Because it has a higher melting point than PE, it can be used in applications that need to be sterilized at higher temperatures. It is simple to heat seal, just like PVC, and it has low gas permeability, which means that it is not breathable. When low permeability, heat sealing, and high clarity are desirable or required in food packaging, such as in the bags used for candies, cookies, herbs, nuts, and other confections, polypropylene (PP) is frequently the material of choice.
- DEGRADABLE OLEFINIC BAGS
Recently, there has been a lot of interest in degradable bags, which are also referred to as oxo-degradable bags or UV degradable bags. These plastic bags frequently consist of biodegradable polyethylene, which is characterized by the presence of additives (organic transition metal compounds) and/or biodegradable monomers. These additives and/or monomers cause the plastic to gradually deteriorate when it is subjected to sunlight, oxygen, and moisture. However, under the conditions of composting, these bags are not guaranteed to be biodegradable. 
The plastic fragments may not decompose into carbon dioxide and water, or the process of decomposition may proceed at a rate that is insufficient to be considered composting.
- BAGS MADE OF BIOMATERIAL, CAPABLE OF BIODEGRADATION, AND ABLE TO BE COMPOSTED
Because they are more expensive and less durable than PE bags of the same gauge of material, biobased bags are used on a much more limited scale than PE bags. They are manufactured using materials that are derived from renewable plant sources, primarily corn starch and biobased aliphatic polyesters such as polylactic acid (PLA) and polyglycolic acid (PGA). These plastics are capable of complete biodegradation as well as composting, and they are not thought to be harmful to the environment. The market share of bags that are biodegradable or made from biobased materials is relatively low but has the potential to increase. The purpose of collecting grass clippings, leaves, dog waste, and food scraps for the purpose of composting makes starch-based bags an ideal choice. However, these bags are also used for shopping, produce, and retail.