Question: nicolas, thank you for your answer on the live chat, but i have another question, does it depend on what plastic you use for a bag to "disintergrate" as in disapear from the inviroment, meaning do some plastics take longer than others??

Nicolas Biber answered on 16 Jun 2011:

Some plastics will definitely take longer than others, you can feel the difference in material between some plastic bags. The shiny ones are better quality than the very light bags you usually get at the grocery store. I cannot say for certain that the higher quality ones take longer to degrade, but it’s very likely. They also make bags that are made to degrade quickly. One type of material I am testing is supposed to last 18 months. Then the question is what ‘degradation’ means. Some degradable plastics are really made from plant material, and they can be biodegraded (eaten by animals), but some just fall apart more quickly, and the plastic remains in the environment, just as tiny bits you can’t even see. Does this answer your question? If not, just keep asking 🙂