| Mailing Bags are an excellent low cost way to ship | | | | the monomer. In certain circumstances it is useful |
| goods that already have good quality packaging or | | | | to use a structure–based nomenclature. In |
| don't require postal protection like clothes. | | | | such cases IUPAC recommends poly(methylene). |
| Plastic bags usually use less material than | | | | The difference is due to the opening up of the |
| cardboard boxes, cartons, or jars and are | | | | monomer's double bond upon polymerisation. In |
| therefore often considered as reduced or | | | | the polymer industry the name is sometimes |
| minimized packaging. Depending on the | | | | shortened to PE in a manner similar to that by |
| construction, plastic bags can be well suited for | | | | which other polymers like polypropylene and |
| plastic recycling and can be incinerated in | | | | polystyrene are shortened to PP and PS |
| appropriate facilities for waste-to-energy | | | | respectively. In the United Kingdom the polymer is |
| conversion. | | | | commonly called polythene, although this is not |
| Bags can be made with a variety of plastic films. | | | | recognised scientifically. |
| Polyethylene, of various grades and types, is the | | | | Biodegradable postal bags are also available now |
| most common. Other forms, including laminates | | | | like the Degradamailer, a biothene degradable |
| and coextrusions can be used when the physical | | | | postal bag. These films are made by blending an |
| properties are needed. | | | | additive to provide a UV / oxidative and/or |
| Plastic recycling improves usage of resources. | | | | biological mechanism to degrade them. This |
| Biodegradable films need to be kept away from | | | | typically takes 6 months to 2 years in a landfill |
| the usual recycling stream to prevent | | | | site if adequate exposure to oxygen and heat |
| contaminating the polymers to be recycled. If | | | | over 140°F/60°C. |
| disposed of in a sanitary landfill, most traditional | | | | Degradation is a two stage process. First the |
| plastics do not readily decompose. The sterile | | | | plastic is converted by reaction with oxygen (light, |
| conditions of a sealed landfill also deter degradation | | | | heat and/or stress) to molecular fragments that |
| of "biodegradable" polymers. | | | | water can wet, and then these smaller oxidized |
| Polyethylene is a polymer consisting of long chains | | | | molecules are biodegraded, i.e. converted into |
| of the monomer ethylene (IUPAC name ethene). | | | | carbon dioxide, water and biomass by |
| The recommended scientific name polyethene is | | | | microorganisms. |
| systematically derived from the scientific name of | | | | |