Are you wondering what to do with empty bulk bags? FIBCs are a very efficient, cost-effective, and convenient way to handle large quantities of various products. Though we need a plastic-free world, it is not easy as we say. But, if we are to protect the environment, the best we should do is use and dispose of plastics properly. We should do the same thing with the FIBCs. As these are made from virgin polypropylene, we can reuse, recycle, and up-cycle bulk plastic bags to experience many excellent benefits. Here we will see the proper industrial ways of recycle reuse bulk bags(FIBC bags).

Can FIBC bags be used more than once?- Recycle reuse bulk bags

Big bags, super sacks, totes, and bulk bags are a few other names to call FBIC bags. Manufacturers make them using the fabrics woven by interlacing polypropylene yarns, which have long-lasting durability. Bags are flexible, and we can reuse them for an extended period. But, the question is, do people really do that, or do they just dump them in landfills?

Let us get ourselves educated on the proper ways of reusing these versatile bulk plastic bags.

Do you know that FIBC bags have a safety rating system?

It tells you whether they are safe or not to be reused for the same initial purpose. If you are keen to know more you can read more about the safety measures of FIBC bulk bags.

However, if you want to get the initial costs’ value, we can reuse these bulk bags with a ”closed-loop” system. Manufacturers recommend only multi-trip bulk plastic bags with a 6:1 Safety Factor to undergo this process. Between each use, proper care should be taken to ensure their longevity.

Flexible Intermediate Bulk Container Association (FIBCA) has issued the following guidelines to reuse these bulk totes properly. 

Let us go through each step carefully to get the best out of these versatile bags!

1. Scrutinize the bulk bags

Make sure there are no visible damages that would make repurposing worthless. Furthermore, check for outside contaminations like fungus growth or mildew on surfaces, distorted printed information, and/or dampness. If the bulk bag is unfit for repurposing, those should be rejected and sent for recycling.

2. Clean the bags properly

clean the bags properly using suitable cleaning agents to remove all residual matter.

3. Recondition 

In this step, we have to ensure the functionality of the bulk back to serve its intended purpose. It should be able to function as its first use. To bring them to proper condition, replace the necessary labels, web ties, cord locks, and tickets.

4. Track

The manufacturers and stock managers must keep track of the following. He must know the origin of each bag, what was stored in it before, the number of uses or turns, and how many times it had been reused before. Make sure to have everything in writing!

5. Testing

At the end of the process, the top lift testing is done as a safety precaution. Select bags randomly and, adhering to the manufacturer’s guidelines, determine the quantity to be lifted. This test should follow the latest version of the ISO 21988 standard. Test results should be readily available to access for three years from the test date.

Therefore, in a closed-loop system, collaboration among the FICB manufacturer, the customer purchasing the totes, and the end-user of the FBIC is essential. When reuse is not possible for a bulk bag, we have to send it for recycling.

How FIBCs are recycled? -Let us discuss recycle reuse bulk bags in detail!

As FIBC bags are made from plastic polymer polypropylene (PP), they are not biodegradable. 

But, do you know that throughout the world, only 1% of PP products are recycled? 

PP is known to be the most eco-friendliest among the existing plaster polymers. 

Yet, they take 20-30 years to degrade! 

That is a very long time. So, without making them pile up in landfills, all discarded products made from PP should be recycled, FIBCs included. 

FIBCA also stresses the manufacturers and users recycle the bulk bags whenever possible as they reach the end of their lifecycle. 

But, wondering where to recycle polypropylene bags? 

Many bulk plastic bag recycling programs support recycling, including bag rejects during the closed-loop reuse system. 

Find more about FIBC recycling facilities here.  

If you like to know where to recycle bulk bags UK, here is our list. Liverpool Bulk Bags have an authorized Waste Carriers License; you can check their recycling services and quotes.

Promising to reduce their impact on the environment, ‘d.a.pack’ is another company in the UK that sells and recycles FIBC bags. You can check them here. 

Luckily, as most bulk bags are entirely made from pure/virgin PP, it is easy to recycle them fully. Polypropylene can be recycled, considerable times maintaining the structural integrity before its chemical bonds get weakened. Most bulk bags, including bags used to store chemicals, dyes, fertilizer, construction material, etc., can undergo recycling when adequately handled.

Below is what happens inside recycling plants:

1. Collection

This is the first step in recycling bulk bags. After collecting in huge quantities, they grade the bags accordingly. Recycling grades for FIBCs are as follows:

Grade A- bags are clean and bright white in color. Okay to have colored handles and stitching

Grade B – Bags are noticeably dirty. Predominantly white color with a bit of coloring.

Grade C – Bags are dirty and colored very much

2. Sorting and cleaning 

Bulk bags store and carry many different types of material, from non-hazardous to highly toxic chemicals. Therefore, bags need to be sorted according to what it was storing beforehand and decontaminated thoroughly in this step. Using appropriate cleaning utensils and cleaning agents, recycling plants clean them well. Also, they remove all the accessories like buttons and zippers on the bags in this step.

3. Shredding into pieces

Using machinery, they shred the cleaned bags into tiny pieces/flakes.

4. Separation

Other than separating impurities, advanced machinery can separate the resized plastic flakes according to size, color, shape, melting point, etc. Therefore, all necessary separations are done at this stage.

5. Compounding

The sorted flakes go through the extruder to make polymer pellets or granules. For this, it is essential to melt the flake at 240 degrees Celsius. A certain amount of pure/virgin PP (up to 50%) is also fed to the mixture to strengthen new pellets forming. These uniform pellets go as fresh raw material to manufacture new products such as textiles, battery covers, brooms, and many more.

Bulk bag recycling is a full circle, which is an eco-friendly option to avoid the environmental damage they could cause. Furthermore, this process can be repeated many times safely so that the new products do not end up in landfills.

Check out the following video to get an idea about the process of recycling FBIC in Japan

Apart from this method used for FIBC bags, many other innovative solutions are used to recycle PP waste. For example, PP waste is used in manufacturing fuels looking at solutions for both plastic pollution and fuel crisis at the same time. So, if you are eager to know how to convert waste polypropylene into fuel, numerous studies are going on.

Another set of researchers are trying to use PP waste to improve the strength of sandy soil to be used in geotechnical applications. More on this timely needed solution is available to read here. 

Why stress on reusing and recycling of FIBC bags?

As mentioned earlier, no matter how eco-friendly PP is than the other plastics, it is still a type of plastic polymer. Therefore if not reused or recycled, they go to the landfills. If they reach the dumps, they can release toxic substances that reside in them, and even during the degrading of bags, harmful chemicals can be released to soil and water bodies. Recycling bulk bags can reduce the energy consumed in making products from virgin material. Using recycled PP pellets decreases virgin PP’s need, helping to conserve limited raw material (oil and propane gas) well. So by giving not one but several second chances for bulk bags to serve us can reduce plastic waste, preserve resources and save energy and money. 

So why not stress on reuse and recycle!