Plastic Shooping Bag Sizes

Shopping bags are very important because they are used to carry and bring items from the stores right into the houses of shoppers. They are also called grocery bags or carrier bags. Because of the durability, efficiency and inexpensiveness of plastic, it is one of the most common materials used for making these items. More importantly, it is reusable. Besides these facts, it is also interesting to find out the different shopping bag sizes.

The Sizes of Plastic Shopping Bags

Plastic shopping bags are available in various kinds of colors and sizes. Furthermore, some of them even have prints to make them more interesting. The common bag sizes include the 17 inches by 21 inches, the 15 inches by 18 inches and the 12 inches by 15 inches. Aside from these, you can also find a smaller version, which measures only 8 inches by 12 inches. The size of bag depends on the item or merchandise to be placed inside it.

Polyethylene plastic also makes a good quality shopping bag. Just like other bags, this particular type is available in different colors and sizes. It comes in interesting colors such as yellow, apple green and red. Female shoppers will surely find the fuchsia pink color bags very attractive. Common sizes of polyethylene plastic shopping bags include the 11-inch by 14-inch, the 15-inch by 16-inch and the 9-inch by 12-inch versions. Additionally, there is also a bigger version measuring 18 inches by 20 inches.

Additional Facts and Other Interesting Details

One of the most common materials used for shopping bags is polyethylene, which is comprised of ethylene monomers. It became a widely used material for making shopping bags only in 1977. It later on became a major industry, led by Dixie Bag Co. of Georgia, which is one of the pioneers. An executive named J. W. Mcbride led the company. He aimed to supply major shopping centers with highly convenient products.

By the early parts of the 1980s, a number of business enterprises contributed greatly to the development, marketing and manufacturing of polyethylene plastic shopping bags, namely Houston Poly Bag, Mr. McBride’s as well as Dixie Bag. Aside from polyethylene, another material that can be used to produce plastic shopping bags is the biodegradable polymer called polylactic acid. This vegetable-based bioplastic does not have toxic residue.

Based on the statistics released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, only 1 percent of plastic shopping bags were recycled in 2001. This eventually led to a massive growth in the recycling industry. In 2007, over 800 million pounds of shopping bags were recycled. The use of heavy-duty bags is highly recommended because it can be reused.