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People are always using excuses about doing something about the environment. I was taught to always try to leave a place better for me being there. There is a big debate about which is better to use, paper or plastic bags. There is clearly a far better third alternative. It does require a little effort on the consumers part.
Background
The use of plastic bags has grown exponentially. They are now bags being found in Antarctica. When was the last time anyone has been shopping at the South Pole? There are people in Africa using old plastic bags to make new things like hats. They are able to collect 30,000 bags a month for this purpose! Plastic bags are not biodegradable. They do break down by photo-degradation. The sunlight breaks them into ever smaller particles but they are never returned to organic material as paper bags will eventually become. Along the way, many of them are ingested by animals.
The Problem
It is estimated that between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags discarded annually worldwide. This is more than a million per minute! The production of these plastic bags consumes millions of gallons of oil. In this time of escalating energy prices this is not a wise choice. More than 380 billion plastic bags are used in the United States every year. These are free, they cost retailers about $4 billion annually. This cost is passed on to you, the consumer in the prices.
The Paper Option
Is Paper Better Than Plastic?
Many people consider paper bags to be a better alternative to plastic bags. "Not so fast, environment breath!" It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag. Most paper comes from tree pulp. The impact of paper bag production on forests is enormous. In 1999, 14 million trees were cut to produce the 10 billion paper grocery bags used by Americans that year alone. Paper bag production delivers a double-whammy to forests, the major processor of greenhouse gases. First we cut them down, then we increase the load of greenhouse gases for what remains.
Kraft paper (brown paper for sacks) is made by heating wood chips under pressure in a chemical solution. The unmistakable stench of a paper mills is evidence of the contribution to air pollution. Acid rain comes from the return of these chemicals to the earth. Millions of gallons of these chemicals pour into our waterways each year. The toxicity of the chemicals is long-term and settles into the sediments, working its way through the food chain. This toxicity is generated from both kinds of bags. It has been estimated that paper sacks generate 70% more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags. Research has demonstrated that paper in today's landfills does not degrade or break down at a significantly faster rate than plastic does. Nothing completely degrades in modern landfills. The lack of water, light, oxygen and other important elements that are necessary for the degradation process to be completed are not present. A paper bags takes up more space than a plastic bag in a landfill, but because paper is recycled at a higher rate, saving space in landfills is less of an issue.
Recycling
It takes 91% less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it takes to recycle a pound of paper. When it is paper sack it is even worse, it is about 99% more energy efficient. The biggest problem is that recycling rates of either are extremely low. Only 10 to 15% of paper bags and 1 to 3% of plastic bags are being recycled. (Wall Street Journal)
Solutions
In 2002, the Irish government imposed a plastic bag consumption tax (called a PlasTax). The tax of $.15 per bag is paid by consumers when they check out at the store. The year before 1.2 billion (with a B) plastic bags were used (316 per person). The tax has reduced consumption by 90 percent. This means that 285 of those bags were not necessary. While cutting back on litter, Ireland's tax has saved approximately 18 million liters of oil (4,755,097 US gallons). Several other governments around the world are now considering a similar tax.
There is some research to use corn as the basis for biodegradable bags.
Some stores are starting to charge for each bag. This way they keep their prices lower.
The Real Solution
The next time you are asked, "paper or plastic?", say "neither, use these." There are more and more places offering reusable bags. They are not all the specialty "Organic" food stores. It does take a little effort to take the bags back to the car. You do have to remember to take them into the store. I have never had one of them dump the stuff on the parking lot, break open in the car or give up the ghost all over the kitchen floor. I do not have to double bag the heavy items like liter bottles. This is something that each of us can do. If the Irish can cut the use of plastic bags by 90 percent in a year, so can we. Every journey starts with a single step, will you take this one with me?
Not everything needs to be in a sack. If you get a single item, just take it with your receipt and walk out of the store. I have yet to be able to use anything still in the sack.
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Sources for reusable bags:
Smart & Final Grocery Stores
Stater Brothers Grocery Stores
Winco Foods
Several stylish options from $1.99- 85 cents Custom bags available.Bags on the Run
Reusable Bagsbrightly-colored, stylish and fun. 1% of sales donated to environment.Globotote
Cool shopping bags Show off your love for the planet with some cool, hip shopping totesGiggleFish
"Choose to Reuse"Earthwise
Nice Set!
Reusable Bags
Endorsed by Oprah! Ecobags
