Why is the bag rustling? Interesting facts about plastic bags

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Green, pink, blue, yellow… Dense and thin, strong and easily torn, huge and miniature… All these epithets characterize the same object – a plastic bag. Made of a special material, the bags make a rustling sound at the slightest touch. Many wondered - why is the package rustling? Let's try to solve this problem.

History of plastic bags

The first plastic bag appeared thanks to the laboratory experiments of the German scientist Hans von Pechmann in 1899. It was Pehman who invented a peculiar mixture called polymethylene. The improvement of the material was continued by E. Fawsetm and R. Gibson in 1934.

The first bags were made from celluloid. They were intended to store film. However, such bags had one unpleasant feature - explosiveness. Only in 1911, scientists managed to invent a material that is transparent and elastic. They called the novelty cellophane. But innovation is notwas in high demand due to the inflated cost.

Polyethylene, which appeared in 1933, completely replaced expensive cellophane. Already in the mid-50s in the UK, packaging bags were used in supermarkets. Soon, plastic bags began to be produced in large quantities (about 11 million annually).

In the US, since 1957, cellophane food packaging has been massively used. And in the USSR, the first packages were one of the items of income for black marketeers. Bags with imported inscriptions meant the status of the owner. They were kept and used only in exceptional cases. The situation changed with the beginning of the production of plastic bags in the Soviet Union.

The difference between cellophane and polyethylene

As already mentioned, cellophane was invented at the beginning of the 20th century. And then, and today the material is made from viscose. In view of this, cellophane bags are more expensive than plastic ones. Currently, cellophane packaging can be found on cigarette packs, candy wrappers or flower wrappers.

Unlike polyethylene, cellophane contains glycerin, which gives the material a sweetish taste. The color on this package lasts a very long time. In addition, cellophane is stiffer than polyethylene. This may explain why the cellophane bag rustles.

What are plastic bags made of?

In 1950, budget polyethylene completely replaced cellophane. Soft, pliable plastic bags immediately fell in love with consumers. In addition to aesthetic properties, plastic bagsare extremely reliable and spacious.

Polyethylene packaging bags are made from the thinnest plastic polymer, which is extracted from a gaseous hydrocarbon - ethylene. There are two types of plastic bags - LDPE and HDPE. The first type is made using high pressure, and the second is low.

Types of plastic bags

The answer to the question of why a plastic bag rustles may depend on the shape of the bag. There are several main types of polyethylene packaging bags:

T-shirt bags. Such bags are made of material made using PVD or HDPE technology. In the production of such packages, large economic costs are not required. This does not prevent the T-shirts from being roomy and durable. Bags boast a load capacity of 5 to 35 kg. True, the larger the load, the more the shape of the product is deformed

Packs with a cut handle-banana. Such packages have a flat rectangular shape. The handle in such bags is a cut-out hole in the upper part of the product. The bags are made of PVD or HDPE materials. The softness and elasticity of the bags answers the question of why the bags rustle. These bags are a good solution for wrapping gifts, advertisements, books, etc

• Polyethylene bags with loop handle. A distinctive feature of such bags is the presence of a handle that can be attached to the bag in three ways:

  • densethe polyethylene strip is attached to the bag from the wrong side;
  • plastic handle is attached with a special fastening method to increase the load capacity;
  • rope handles are attached by threading the ends of the string through holes in the top area of the bag and tying knots for strength.

• Bags with loop handles, like the previous versions of bags, are produced using HDPE and PVD technologies. They are quite dense and therefore durable. Often these bags have logos and prints. Such bags are reusable, they can be used in literally all situations - in the process of shopping, carrying a school shift, textbooks or products. The density of the product explains why the bag with the attached handle rustles.
• Packing container. These bags are not very durable. The main task of the bags is to protect the packaged goods from dirt and moisture. This is the only packaging that is made from HDPE materials. These bags are thin and inexpensive. They are disposable. The load capacity of the packages is small - only 2-7 kg. But they were created, basically, not for carrying, but for packaging. The thinness of the product explains why the package rustles.

Why are they rustling?

Comparing a plastic bag and cellophane packaging, you can see that cellophane sounds sharper and louder when compressed. But polyethylene also makes a sound that is somewhat quieter and softer. How to explain why it rustlespackage? The thing is that polyethylene is the same plastic, only many times thinner. Everyone knows that plastic is a dense and rigid material. When a plastic object breaks, a characteristic crack is emitted. The same thing happens with a plastic bag. When compressed and wringing, the sound is rustling. In this case, the package does not break like plastic, but remains intact.

However, not all bags rustle with the same sound. It depends on the material from which the product is made. The most sonorous rustling can boast of bags made of material using HDPE technology.

Plastic bags: interesting facts

Why is the package rustling? It depends on the density of the material and the method of production of the item. Throughout the history of the appearance of plastic bags, many interesting episodes have accumulated. For example:

• Russia is one of the leaders in the production of high-quality plastic bags.
• In addition to the production of containers, polyethylene is successfully used in the manufacture of branded clothing.
• In a number of European countries, the cost of bags includes a special fee that goes to the disposal of polyethylene.
• Today there is a special technology that allows the production of bags from self-splitting polyethylene. However, such bags are extremely expensive due to high material costs.

Pros and cons of plastic bags

Among the advantages of plastic bags are the following:

• The polyethylene packaging is waterproof and therefore well protected from moisture and dust.
• The bags are almost weightless and extremely compact.
• Plastic bags are durable. Many are reusable.
• Polyethylene bags are relatively cheap.
• The most popular plastic T-shirt bag is made in seconds. This means that the production of bags does not require large amounts of energy.

However, polyethylene has one drawback that has been recently thought about. Plastic products practically do not split. They cause significant harm to the ecology of the Earth. Their disposal requires a lot of material and energy costs. As a result, developed countries began to switch to an ecological alternative to plastic bags - paper bags.