Conceptually, reusing bulk bags is a good thing.  However,  you have be careful that the way YOU reuse bulk bags preserves the 'goodness'.

Let's explore what that means.

Bulk bags - or FIBCs, bulk totes, big bags, Super Sacks® - are an amazingly versatile and economical method of shipping semi-bulk quantities of dry bulk solids.

In every case, the economics of using bulk bags vs. small containers (50 lb bags, drums, etc.) and rigid bulk containers (corrugated boxes, metal or plastic bins, etc.) is advantageous.  The price per lb of shipped product is almost always lower and the financial return from using bulk bags is even further enhanced when handling labor, yield, warehousing efficiency and other factors are included.

Sounds like a winner, right?  Well, it is.

However, the picture can improve greatly if a bulk bag is reused.  Suddenly, the cost per lb of the packaging drops by half every time a bulk bag is reused.

Obviously, that is a financially compelling reason to reuse bulk bags... but it's gets even better!

Think green.  Even if you recycle your bulk bags (yes, it can be done!), reusing your bags has a tremendously beneficial impact on the energy footprint of the package.  Delaying the demise of the package stretches out its use so that the environmental impact of the packaging on a per lb basis is drastically decreased.  Another VERY good thing.

So, those are compelling reasons to reuse bulk bags, right?  Of course.  Then why might bulk bag reuse NOT be a good thing?

Safety.

Plain and simple: if you do not take great care to ensure that each reused bulk bag is safe before it is used again, you have created a potentially deadly time bomb.

Bulk bags, like ANY package, need to be inspected and, if necessary, repaired before reuse.  Skipping this step can result in problem bulk bags being directed back into production.  Frayed lifting loops, loose stiching, fabric tears, UV fabric damage and many other 'small' problems can result in the total failure of a bag posibly resulting in injury or death.

There exists a growing market for used bulk bags.  Brokers can easily be found who sell used bags.  While this is, on the surface, a useful service, you Must take GREAT care to confirm that the bags in question are safe.

For example, photos abound on the Internet showing used bags for sale that are shown bundled and sitting on loading docks or wharfs - outside in direct sunlight.  Woven fabric made from polypropylene tape degrades when it comes in contact with sunlight.  It takes some time to damage the fabric to the point where handling the bag within its safe load limit would cause failure, but it does happen and it is a very real concern.

That's just one way that a used bulk bag can be unsafe for use.  A thorough inspection by a knowledgeable person is required to confirm that a bulk bag can be safely reused.

So, while reusing bulk bags can be hugely beneficial, care must be taken to guarantee the safety of each reused package. 

The safest, easiest and least costly method of safely reusing bags is to insitute a closed loop system whereby the bags are returned to the producer who filled them - where they are inspected and repaired if required prior to being reused.  Often, a third party is involved who performs the inpection and repair service.

Interested in safely reusing bulk bags?  I suggest that you contact a FIBCA member who can advise you on how to implement a financially rewarding - and safe - bulk bag reuse program.

Super Sack is a registered trademark of B.A.G. Corp.