Organic shopping bags: why are they so expensive?

They're useful, first and foremost, for reducing plastic use, but they also cost 20 cents per bag. And they often end up in the wrong bin due to consumer error.

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supermarket bag cost bioshopper anomalies 5 1

A ghost haunts our shopping carts when we go shopping at any supermarket, or even many retail stores: the bioshopper. At checkout, the clerk at Conad, Coop, Esselunga, Carrefour, or Auchan always greets us with the same question: "Bag?" And by bag, they mean a bioshopper, a bag that has replaced those made of polluting traditional plastic. But not without some issues still to be resolved.

  • Organic shopping bags aren't free and can cost anywhere from 5 to 20 cents. The cost is listed on your receipt, along with the products you purchased, and varies based on the bag's features, weight, and size.
  • The industrial costs of these products cannot be underestimated, but perhaps at least large-scale retail outlets could make an effort to contain the extra expense passed on to consumers. It would also be a smart marketing ploy.
  • Indeed, if we consider the high end of the price range, 20 cents, and shopping twice a week, with just one bioplastic bag, the total cost over the course of a year comes to around 20 euros. But consumers almost never manage to get by with just one bioplastic shopping bag for their entire shopping.
  • Another issue concerns the disposal of biodegradable shopping bags. Few people understand that, since they aren't plastic, this material shouldn't be disposed of in plastic bins. Biodegradable and compostable plastic bags should be disposed of in the organic waste sorting bin, and then sent for industrial composting along with the organic waste.
  • To ensure proper disposal of biodegradable shopping bags, perhaps it would be helpful for businesses in the sector, in collaboration with waste collection and reuse companies, to comprehensively inform citizens of their specific characteristics and where they will be disposed of once they have reached the end of their useful life.
  • Biodegradable shopping bags are biodegradable, but the time and methods can vary greatly: some require an enzyme to decompose, others high temperatures, or even massive doses of water. These things aren't exactly beneficial to the environment or the fight against pollution. However, the European standard EN 13432 guarantees that compostable products are fully compatible with the treatment cycles of anaerobic management and composting plants.
  • Italian law requires that only single-use compostable bags compliant with the EN 13432 standard be sold, but unfortunately, many of these bags are on the market that don't comply with the regulations, damaging the entire bioplastics industrial and distribution chain, and contributing to worsening environmental conditions.

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