Non-woven bags are typically made from either polypropylene (most common) or polyester. That's right: they are plastic. That means they are NOT biodegradable. Don't try put these in your compost bin.
While polypropylene is technically recyclable, they are not recycled in Singapore. Do not put them in blue bins.
Non-woven grocery bags are often made of recycled material.
Non-woven bags use far less resources to make than cotton tote bags. But they also don't last as long and are not as strong.
Non-woven bags eventually break down potentially contributing to problems of microplastic if they are not disposed of properly.
Anyone who has forgotten such a bag at the back of a cupboard for a decade will know what a mess of plastic shards this can become!