EFFECTIVITY OF PLASTIC BAG MADE OF MONGGO BEANS AS

ALTERNATIVE FOR PLASTIC CELLOPHANES

NOVA NOREEN LOZANO

THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF INSTITUTE OF

TEACHER EDUCATION, ARTS AND SCIENCES
DAVAO DEL SUR STATE COLLEGE, MATTI,
DIGOS CITY, IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE DEGREE OF

BACHELOR OF SECONDARY EDUCATION

(Technology and Livelihood Education)

NOVEMBER 2020

i
 2

APPROVAL SHEET

This thesis entitled “EFFECTIVITY OF PLASTIC BAG MADE OF

MONGGO BEANS AS ALTERNATIVE FOR PLASTIC
CELLOPHANES”, prepared and submitted by NOVA NOREEN
LOZANO, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Home Economics is
hereby accepted.

ARIEL C. BALIO JR., LPT GARNETTE MAE BALACY

Member Member
______________________ ______________________
Date Signed Date Signed

DR. CINDY B. ROSIL, Ed. D JASMIN S. MACAPA -AR, LPT

Chairman Adviser
________________________ __________________________
Date Signed Date Signed

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the Degree of Bachelor of Technology and Livelihood
Education Major in Home Economics.

CINDY B. ROSIL, Ed.D

Dean
Institute of Teachers Education, Arts and Sciences
Davao del Sur State College (DSSC),
Brgy. Matti, Digos City

__________________
Date Signed
 CHAPTER I

Introduction

The problem and its background

The environmental impacts of plastic bags have been the target

of increased community concern and media attention around the

world. The environmental impacts are a result of littered plastic

cellophanes primarily and secondly from the production and use of

plastic. Littered plastics become entangled in and ingested by wildlife

in marine and terrestrial environments. It is the very same

characteristics that make plastic a versatile packaging material,

durable, lightweight, and high strength, that also makes plastic litter

easily spread, persistent, visible, and an essentially cumulative litter

material (Allen Consulting Group (ACG) 2006 Page 20). Moreover,

plastics are contributing to the widespread and lesser-known problem

of plastic pollution having significant impacts on wildlife feeding,

hormone production, impacting on reproduction, creating toxic

chemical build up, affecting ecosystem processes and biodiversity.

Both the negative aesthetics of plastic bags and the more

significant ecological damage have negative socio-economic impacts.

Littered plastic contributes to the loss of visual aesthetics, the loss of

wildlife and pristine wilderness areas, impacting the tourism industry

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and those employed within. Additional socio-economic impacts involve

damage caused to personal property such as buildings, cars, boats and

livestock, from entanglement and blocked drains, as well as social

concerns about the non-essential use of a non-renewable resource (oil

and natural gas). The concerns about plastic bags use are

characterized by two interrelated factors: environmental impacts, and

their symbolic value (Nolan ITU 2002b). Plastic bags have become a

politically incorrect symbol of the threat to the environment” (Byars

1995) which at a time of climate change debate is giving PSB

important status.

The profusion and limited tenure of plastic bags have

tremendous harmful effects on the ecosystem of the world (Moharam

& Maqtari, 2014). Moreover, these products' limited life span usage

leads to disposal which takes centuries for decomposition. More and

more countries are in use of these products without the consideration

of environmental impact (Kumar, 2018) as they are more concerned

with current development instead of looking at the future

consequences. No doubt there are several benefits associated with the

use of plastic but the established system of plastic is now known for

the severe environmental issues.

 So far, the concerned matter has been given less attention for

its production and consumption patterns (Nielsen et al., 2019). Plastic

bags’ daily waste is the largest component of environment pollution.

Food packs with plastic lining, plastic bottles and other such items’

disposal can pollute groundwater and is also harmful to animal life.

Because of careless attitude, 85% of plastic grocery bags are dumped

in open landfills (Kumar, 2018). Some countries are yet formulating

policies while some others have implemented rules and regulations

against the use of polythene products. As per the United Nations (UN)

2018 report, it is mentioned that around 127 countries have

implemented some kind of policies related to the prohibition for the

use of plastic bags (Mahmood et al., 2014; Shah, 2019). Researchers,

scholars, investigators and worldwide known national and international

institutions have published several articles and reports on the harmful

impact of plastic bags in different regions but unfortunately in Pakistan,

the research related to the issue under consideration is very limited.

Objectives of the study

The purpose of this study is to provide information about the

effectivity of plastic made of monggo beans, and to summarize the

measures taken to minimize these effects. Formal and informal sources

were used to obtain information about the alternatives for plastic bags.
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Specific objectives are as follows:

1. To lessen the usage of polyethylene plastic cellophanes.

2. To compare the properties of the said bioplastics with the

traditional plastics.

3. To investigate the feasibility of mung beans as bioplastic

Significance of the study

The findings of this study would be beneficial to the following.

Community. This study will benefit the community in order for them

to understand having an alternative for plastic bags. Through this

research, the community will further promote the use of plastic

cellophanes made from monggo beans.

Academic Institutions and administrators. Through this research,

academic institutions and administrators may promote programs and

advocacies regarding monggo beans as an alternative for plastic

cellophanes.

Students. Students will be directly benefited from this research as its

findings may encourage them to alternatives for using plastic bags.

Future Researchers. This study would help future researchers

enhance their knowledge on the effectiveness of alternatives for plastic

bags. Through knowing these, they can prepare themselves for the

advantages of its use and will benefit their future studies.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The research that I conducted only limits its scope to five employees

who work at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources

(DENR), Digos City, Davao del Sur. This study aims to know their

opinions, knowledge and insights about monggo beans as an

alternative for plastic bags.

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Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Alternative Plastic Bags

There are many environment-friendly alternatives to plastic

bags, such as jute bags, paper bags, bio-degradable bags, and

reusable bags. Commonly, jute bags are recommended as an

environmentally friendly alternative to plastic bags because the bags

are made from biodegradable material which comes from a plant fiber

called jute, mostly consisting of cellulose. This is eco-friendly and has

no harmful effects on the environment and agriculture. Paper bags are

also recommended as an environment friendly alternative to plastic

bags. It has been suggested that the natural fibers of paper and its

recyclability creates a positive image of the paper bags (Though, 2007;

PBWG, 2002). Biodegradable plastic bags are another alternative to

the non-biodegradable plastic bags; however, they are not free from
environmental harm as they contain toxic materials. Therefore, the

alternatives to plastic bags should be carefully assessed before

adoption so that they are soil and environment friendly (Though,

2007).

The best alternatives to plastic shopping bags are fully

biodegradable bags which are non-toxic for soil. Moreover, they might

be manure for the soil after decomposition. Impulsive usage of plastic

bags is very harmful and this habit should be changed (PBWG, 2002

Page 21; Though, 2007). Moreover, impulsive purchases are

characteristic to the non-supermarket retail sector, where reusable

bags are less common and reduction campaigns have had limited

success. With no reusable bag readily obtainable at hand, and no

environment friendly alternatives being made available, consumers are

thus overwhelmed with the experienced convenience and would thus

gladly accept or even request for the plastic bags. Thus, impulsive

purchases have a significant role in the reduction or increase of the

plastic bags consumption and littering, and alternatives provided by

retailers can conclusively form a critical factor to the success of

reduction in the plastic bag usage. It is recognized that alternatives to

the plastic bags provide an opportunity for retailers to consider the

most appropriate bags for grocery usages. Furthermore, it is crucial

 2

that the bag proclaimed as an alternative to the plastic bags should be

convenient for practical purposes of normal usage and also

environmentally friendly.

We need to use alternatives of plastic bags but we must bear in

mind that alternative plastic bags should be less or no harmful for our

environment, especially agriculture. Agriculture is basically our life.

Agriculture supplies raw materials to the industry as food and non-food

materials. Any alternatives to plastic bags suggested must have the

characteristics of less harmful effects than the current ones or should

have preferably zero environmental impact, otherwise there would be

no benefit for the people and agricultural development (ACG, 2006,

Page 41). This is a very significant factor to consider as natural

alternatives might have the potential for greater detrimental impacts

on the environment and agriculture than the traditional plastic bags.

The natural fiber alternatives that are currently popular are jute bags,

paper bags and biodegradable or bio-plastics, in conjunction with the

non-renewable alternatives, such as heavier plastic bags, woven plastic

bags and renewable calico cloth bags (Though, 2007). While numerous

alternatives to plastic bags exist, the currently favored alternatives can

be categorized in four main groups, such as, jute, paper,

biodegradable and reusable bags. The jute bags consist of many types
and are biodegradable and quite compostable. Besides, they have no

negative effect on the environment and agriculture. The category of

biodegradable bags incorporates many classes of natural starch-based

plastics, synthetic degradable plastics and blended synthetic with

natural plastics, with different environmental impacts from each type.

In contrast, paper bag is made with one format, although different

grades, colors and thickness and alter the environmental impacts of

production and use. Finally, reusable bags can be made from both the

renewable and the non-renewable sources, including different types

and applications of plastics and cloth. Jute bags can be the best plastic

bags alternatives which are environment friendly and easily

compostable.

Socio-Economic Implications of Environmental Impacts

The socio-economic impacts associated with the impacts of

littered plastic bags are the impacts from floods caused by blocked

drains and sewers, negative impacts on tourism, and the damage to

property and infrastructure caused by plastic bags. Littered plastic bags

have had devastating effects in Bangladesh, and have resulted in

nonnegotiable plastic bag management by authorities. Bangladesh

banned the distribution of plastic bags after plastic bags and other

packaging blocked storm-water drains preventing drainage, and

 2

amplifying the massive floods in 2002. The aggravated floods

increased the already immense damage, casualties, and fatalities

caused by the floods. After floods there are well known concerns

surrounding sanitation, drinking water and the spread of disease.

Longer-term issues in post flood areas are the impacts to economic

viability, especially where agricultural and farming land has been

damaged, and the social/cultural well-being of people.

Further socio-economic impacts of the littered PSB are the

damage caused to property and infrastructure. Major infrastructure

was damaged in the Bangladesh floods, causing ongoing infrastructure

and government pressure. In a context closer to home PSB have also

been the cause of damage to property as a result of being littered.

Littered plastic bags damage or ‘cook’ boat engines when wrapped

around propellers and water intakes (Kearney 2007), causing engine

failure, which can be potentially life threatening. Littered bags can also

damage cars, as demonstrated during the V8 Supercar 2002 “Bathurst

100” race. Two drivers were forced to stop when plastic bags blocked

cooling mechanisms, overheating the cars.38 These forced stops

during a race had the potential to cause a loss, which would have

impacts on the racing team and economy based on the V8 Supercar

series. Other potential industry loss from littered PSB exists in the

tourism industry.

The impact of littered plastic bags on tourism has been noted in

Australia, Pacific and Ireland. Australian public awareness of littered

plastic bags was gained by the damage to the environment leading to

the loss of visual amenity and aquatic life (EPHC 2007). Specifically,

the impacts on endangered Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles, and

more recently impacts on coral and reef ecosystems (NOAA 2006).

Both the loss of visual amenity and biodiversity due to marine litter

would also have significant impacts on environmental tourism to the

Great Barrier Reef and other environment-based attractions in

Australia.

The arrival of marine litter on Pacific nations is unquestionably

due to the island’s geographic locations, and ocean currents delivering

marine litter to coasts (Morishige et al 2007). The Pacific nations are in

a predicament, as tourism is a major economic input to the Pacific, but

tourism is also intensifying the problems and costs of litter and waste

management.

The impact of littered plastic bags on tourism was also noted in

Ireland, and as a result the government introduced a €0.15 on plastic

bags, commonly known as the “PlasTax”.41 Factors leading to

 2

intervention in these countries were the large number of bags that are

littered each day to accumulate in trees, hedges, fences and drains

around urban and rural areas, 42 creating aesthetic and potential

economic disturbance to tourism.

Ecological Impacts of Plastic Shopping Bags

The majority of ecological impacts of plastic bags are a result of

the effects from plastic bags as litter and pollution. Environmental

impacts are evident both from bags as a whole item, littered raw

plastic materials and from littered bags that have eroded in the

environment to release microscopic plastic particles. In this way,

littered plastic bags contribute to the larger issue of plastic pollution.

Terrestrial plastic bag litter does not appear to be a major problem for

wildlife (Nolan ITU 2002b & ACG 2006). However, livestock have been

known to consume plastic bags, causing illness and fatalities (KIMO

2000).

In contrast, plastic bags are a common sight in the marine

environment, and cause a myriad of problems for wildlife. Marine

pollution is not limited to near shore; plastic bags have been found

more than 300 kilometers offshore, trapped in undersea lava

formations 3.2 kilometers below the surface (Dive Discover 2006). This

demonstrates how easily plastic bags and other marine litter can be
dispersed. Litter can travel thousands of miles being carried by oceanic

currents (Ebbesmeyer 2003) far away from the source of litter. The

ability of marine litter to be dispersed widely increases the potential for

litter to become entangled with or ingested by marine life.

Ineffective Global Policies

India: Ban on plastic bags. Delhi raised the minimum

thickness of bags and subsequently ordered a ban but it wasn’t

implemented thoroughly. This study suggests, where bans are not

effectively enforced, information campaigns on environmental impact

(contribution to the deadly Mumbai Floods) and cashback/alternative

schemes had an impact on plastic bag use.29 Fees, dependent on

amount, decreased plastic bag use by up to 10%. This combination of

interventions decreased plastic bag usage from 80.8% to 57.1%. The

study concludes that blanket bans are not the best policy for

developing countries that lack enforcement capacity, and instead turn

to fees, consumer awareness campaigns, and cashback plans.

Botswana: Plastic bag tax. Botswana implemented a plastic

bag levy that is proving ineffective, mostly due to the fact that

consumers are willing to pay the tax to continue using plastic bags.

The study suggests that the levy be increased and that the
 2

government must establish efficient collection methods to avoid the

perception that the tax serves as revenue for retailers.

San Francisco, CA: Plastic bag ban. In San Francisco, a ban

on plastic bags (with no mandatory fee) was first implemented in

2007, only applying to large supermarkets and grocery stores with over

$2 million in annual sales.33 The newsletter, Useless Stuff conducted a

survey on stores affected by this ban-only ordinance. Most retailers

switched to offering paper bags, and retailers unaffected by the ban-

only ordinance continued primarily offering plastic bags. Excessive use

of paper bags was observed (with significant double bagging), and few

customers brought their own reusable bags.

Austin, TX: Plastic bag ban. The 2014 ban succeeded in

decreasing Austin’s thin plastic bag waste in litter, at levels 25% of

that in a nearby community without the same ordinance.32 However,

retailers switched to thick, "reusable" plastic bags, not covered by the

ban. The overall decrease in plastic litter was minor, largely driven by a

fivefold increase in thick reusable plastic bags.

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Figure 1. Experimental Design

Data Collections and Procedures

Preparation of mung beans

Seeds should be gathered and softened by soaking them in distilled

water overnight. The seeds will then be husked.

Milling the beans

Seeds should pass under a food mill to make sure they are well
ground.
Obtaining the pure starch
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The starch will be collected after milling the solution.

Preparation of starch-based bioplastic
Dilute 15g of mung bean starch with 150ml distilled water in a
500ml beaker.
Stir at 2 r.p.m. using a magnetic stirrer. Pipette 18ml of 0.1M
HCl in the mixture and add the same amount of 0.1M NaOH for
neutralization.
Add 12ml of 1% glycerol and switch the heater to 100oC.
Allow the mixture to heat for about 15 mins
The mixture will form an opaque gel after an hour. Spread the gel on a
mold of 2 mm thickness. Allow the sample to dry.

Results and Discussion

1. Germination rate of Mung Bean seed embedded on the bioplastic in

moist soil

Germination rate

(Days) Seed 1 Seed Seed Seed 4 Seed 5 Seed 6 Average

2 3

Control Group 4 days 5 days 4 days 4 days 4 days 4 days 4.1

(Mung bean Seed in

Moist Soil)

Experimental Group 5 days 5 days 4 days 4 days 4 days 4 days 4.3

(Mung bean embedded

in bioplastic) in Moist
soil

As shown in the table where two groups are being planted the moist

soil, control group has lower average than the experimental group with

the average of 4.1, while experimental group has the average of 4.3.

This indicate that the bioplastic and its components did not affect the

germination of the mung beans seeds.

2. Germination rate of Mung Bean seed embedded on the bioplastic in

Water

Germination rate

(Days) Seed 1 Seed 2 Seed 3 Seed 4 Seed 5 Seed 6 Average

Control Group 3 days 4 days 3 days 3 days 4 days 5 days 3.6

(Mung bean Seed in

Water)

Experimental Group 5 days 4 days 3 days 3 days 3 days 4 days 3.6

(Mung bean embedded

in bioplastic) in Water

Table 2 shows that the groups were soaked in the water has the same

average in germination rate. This imply that the bioplastic embedded

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with seeds that was soaked in the water did not affect the germination

of the seeds while it is decomposing in the water.

3. Biodegradability of plastics according to different environmental

factors

Moist Soil Dry Soil Soaked in Water

Commercial plastic 450 years 600 years 100 years

Bioplastic embedded with

seeds 5 days Mean 4 days Mea 9 days Mean

4 days 4.5 3 days 3.5 12 days 10.5

The table shows and indicate that the experimental group has a

lower mean than the commercial group in terms of biodegradability

rate in days, this implies that the bioplastic embedded with seeds is

better, sustainable alternative and eco friendly than the commercial

plastic. The Bioplastic out of starch exposed to moist soil has a

mean of 4.5 days, dry soil 3.5 days and soaked in water 10.5 days.
 Definition of Terms

Plastic Bag. It is a container made of a thin, flexible plastic film,

nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are commonly used to

store and transport things such as groceries, produce, powders,

periodicals, chemicals, and garbage. It is a very prevalent type of

packing. The seams of most plastic bags are heat sealed, but some are

bonded with adhesives or sewn.

Mung Beans. It also called as “Vigna Radiata”, are small, green beans

that belong to the legume family. The mung bean is mainly cultivated

in East, Southeast and South Asia.

Alternative. This refers to two or more possibilities, as of things or

selection of which precludes any other possibility.

Plastic Cellophanes. This refers to a thin film of regenerated

cellulose, usually transparent, employed primarily as a packaging

material.
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 Chapter III

Methodology

This chapter contains the research design, the participants of the

study, sources of data and some other data gathering procedures that

the researcher will using, and the research instrument of this study.

Research Locale

This study will be conducted at Digos City Davao del Sur with the

selected store namely 8/11 Mini Mart. This place was selected because

many respondents who have knowledge about making alternative

plastic bags reside here. Digos City is also a growing city that is

suitable in making progress environmentally.

Respondents of the study

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The way in which I select a sample of individuals to be research

participants is critical. How I select participants will determine the

population to which we may generalize our research findings. The

procedure we used for assigning participants to different treatment

conditions such as; selecting participants who are working in the

Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Research Design

This study used the quantitative method using

phenomenological processes and techniques. Quantitative research

design is aimed at discovering how many people think, act or feel in a

specific way (Watsons, 2015). Quantitative projects involve large

sample sizes, concentrating on the quantity of responses, as opposed

to gaining the more focused or emotional insight that is the aim of

qualitative research. According to Goertzen (2017), the standard

format in quantitative research design is for each respondent to be

asked the same questions, which ensures that the entire data sample

can be analyzed fairly. The data is supplied in a numerical format, and

can be analyzed in a quantifiable way using statistical methods

(Bloomfield & Fisher, 2019).

Surveys can, however, be tailored to branch off if the

respondent answers in a certain way for instance people who are

satisfied or dissatisfied with a service may be asked different questions

subsequently. In the study of Holton and Burnett (2005) quantitative

research design tends to favor closed-ended questions. Providing

respondents with a set list of answers, they will not normally be able to

give lengthy open-ended responses. This design ensures that the

process of quantitative research is far more efficient than it would be if

qualitative-style open ended questions were employed (Brannen,

2017). It is more efficient because it is then not necessary to carry out

the time-consuming process of coding vast quantities of open-ended

responses. However, quantitative research design does often allow the

inclusion of and ‘other’ category in the list of possible responses to

questions, where appropriate in accordance with the study of Hoe and

Hoare (2012), that this allows those respondents who do not fit

directly into the main categories to still get their precise responses

recorded and used in the analysis of the research project results.

Research Instruments

The research instrument consists of three parts. The first part of

the research instruments consists of the name of the respondents. The

second part is the research instrument that consists of the answer

sheet from 1-20 with corresponding boxes where the letter of their

desired answer will be inserted. Part three of the research instrument

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is the reading passages. It is a series of the text to be read. There are

three reading passages to be read and there are sets of questions in

every reading passage. The total number of questions is 30. The

answering of questions will require 20-25 minutes.

Data Gathered Procedure

Data was collected online using Google Form because of the

pandemic. This was the time when the university prepared to

implement flexible learning arrangements in response to the shift in

the education system to the new normal. To ensure the ethical conduct

of the study, the participants were instructed that upon proceeding

with the online survey, they grant consent to participate in the

research voluntarily.

The data gathered were analyzed using SPSS version 23.

Frequency count, percentages, and mean were used to describe the

data. Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to determine if there were

statistically significant differences between two or more groups of an

independent variable and Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare

differences between two independent groups. The result was

significant if the p-value was less than.