How Disposable Trash Bags Became Popular

Everything was fresh or reused, so there was little to no waste. All that changed during the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, when time became more of a commodity. Washing things and reusing them seemed less important and time-consuming. As work-life became more demanding on people's schedules, disposable items became more popular and affordable. An entire industry of disposable items emerged around people's necessities. At the time, it seemed like one small step for mankind.

After decades of using disposable items, we needed a disposable trash bag to contain the scraps and packaging. Prior to this time, the only scraps leftovers were meat and food scraps, which could be composted or simply thrown away without worries of where it would end up (after all, it biodegrades quickly with the help of microorganisms and scavengers). The throwaway bag seemed like the best invention since sliced bread. Just throw away things you don't want into the magic black hole, and a trash man will come up and whisk the bag away to never-never land, never to be seen again (by you). This meant more free time and less worry about reusing things.

In reality, those plastic bags had to be put somewhere. Before, trash dumps and landfills weren't as prominent. Even though people weren't as environmentally aware hundreds of years ago, they also didn't have the impact on the environment we do today. There were no convenient frozen meals in plastic trays and cardboard boxes. Take-out cups of iced coffee with throw-away straws didn't exist yet. There were no plastic trash bags to contain all of our garbage, wasteful byproduct, and unwanted belongings. As landfills kept springing up all over the world and filling up, it wasn't long before some started to realize this couldn't continue forever. There's only so much space on the planet, and plastic NEVER disappears like food waste.

The disposable trash bag ushered in a new era of wastefulness, one that continued for a long time. While post-Industrial Revolution era companies are still marketing their "big, thick, heavy trash bags that won't break even if you put a Grand Piano inside of it," people are becoming more aware of the impact of using plastic bags. Grocery stores have jumped on the green bandwagon and have been promoting the use of reusable bags. It helps the grocery store save costs on plastic bags, makes the store look eco-conscious, and helps improve the store's overall sales (through the sales of reusable bags). More companies that previously invested in throwaway cups are converting to biodegradable corn starch cups. Businesses and real people that were using disposable trash bags have started to make the switch to biodegradable trash bags in an effort to reduce waste.

Biodegradable trash bags combine the new throw-it-away convenience era mentality with a new eco-friendly twist. The fact of the matter is that little things do matter. While the trash bag is just a container for the trash inside, it could help save millions of tons of trash per year. In a lifetime, the average person uses tens of thousands of trash bags. As you probably could have guessed, there's not enough room for everyone in the country, or the world for that matter, to continue to use disposable trash bags.

Today, the tide can turn on disposable bags. With the advent of biodegradable bags that won't harm our environment, the era of wastefulness will have been alleviated. Now it's just time to start actively using them.