Plastic Bags - Who's mistake?

I will start off by saying it was my mistake!

Plastic bag
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Plastic food bags/pouches - plastic bag or pouch is a type of flexible packaging made of thin, flexible, plastic film. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting foods, produce, powders, ice, chemicals, waste, etc. Most are heat sealed together. Some are bonded with adhesives or are stitched.

Plastic bags usually use less material than comparable boxes, cartons, or jars, thus are often considered as "reduced or minimized packaging". Depending on the construction, plastic bags can be well suited for plastic recycling. They can be incinerated in appropriate facilities for waste-to-energy conversion. They are stable and benign in sanitary landfills. If disposed of improperly, however, plastic bags can create unsightly litter and harm some types of wildlife.

Bags are also made with carrying handles, hanging holes, tape attachments, security features, etc. Some bags have provisions for easy opening and re-closing. Some bags are sealed and can only be opened by destroying the packaging, providing some tamper-evident capability.

Plastic shopping bags are usually made of polyethylene. This can be low-density , resin identification code 4, or most often high-density, resin identification code 2.
Although not in use today, plastic shopping bags could be made from Polylactic acid (PLA) a biodegradable polymer derived from lactic acid.[1] This is one form of vegetable-based bioplastic. This material biodegrades quickly under composting conditions and does not leave toxic residue. However, bioplastic can have its own environmental impacts, depending on the way it is produced. Recyclability of this experimental material is unproven: resin identification code 7 is applicable.

So you ask why the education lesson on plastic bags? Well, I needed a refresher. See I have sold plastic bags for 11 years and during the 4th quarter last year I completed a custom order of bags that were going to be made over seas and well.......I put Hi-D on the order. Hi-D bags are a very inexpensive "cheap" looking and feeling plastic bag similiar to what you get when shopping at a discount store. They are ugly and noisey. They do serve a purpose for those that use them. They are meant for a one time use, they are inexpensive and very strong. But Cheap just the same. Well, I sold an order of custom bags as Hi-D to a higher end store that wanted Lo-D and deserves Lo-D. Thankfully this customer accepted my apology and we are moving to correct the problem quickly. So yes, I made the mistake.

But I wonder, I made the mistake in 2007 but some people in 2008 might think that someone long ago made the mistake of creating the plastic bag to begin with especially since so many do not understand the types of plastic bagss, what types are recyclable and where to recycle them at.

I live by the standard: everyone makes mistakes, its how you handle your mistake, the moving forward and correcting it that matters. I feel terrible.

Here are some interesting links that pertain to plastic bags.

The link below is for Progressive Bag Allaiance's Top 10 Myths about Plastic Bags.
Its very informative. www.plasticsindustry.org/about/fbf/myths+facts_grocerybags.pdf

The same group has a consumer info section that speaks of debunking myths about plastic bags. There are some really interesting facts in here. www.plasticsindustry.org/about/fbf/consumerinfo.htm

This link is about the history of plastic...I just learned it dates back to 1862! Can you believe that? This article also provides information on the materials used to make plastic bags and the difference of Hi-D and Lo-D.
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/8238plasticbags.html