Navigation

The Paper vs. Plastic Debate…continued

Do you answer “paper” or “plastic” when the savvy, motivated young lad at the end of the conveyer belt asks you how you take your groceries?

Plastic has long seemed like the evil answer, but both paper and plastic have environmental drawbacks. It takes 40 percent more energy (and releases more greenhouse gases and air and water pollution) to manufacture paper bags than plastic, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It also takes more energy to transport paper bags because they are heavier than plastic. But it’s more convenient to recycle paper bags, though recycling paper takes more energy than recycling plastic. Paper bags also break down much more quickly in the environment (one month vs. 1,000 years, according to the EPA), eliminating many of the problems of plastic-bag litter.

One also must factor in how much use you get from a bag. Do you simply recycle them or throw them out? Or do you re-use plastic bags to pick up dog droppings, or as small garbage bags in your trash can? Do you get a second or third use out of paper? These are questions that we should be applying to so many products in a society where single-serve has been so ingrained in our minds that we actually have to be reminded that something can be re-used.

If your answer is that you just recycle or trash your bags after a single use, then that’s where your change should begin. The debate comes later.

The bottom line:  the best option is to use a reusable cloth bag or other reusable container. More information on the paper or plastic debate from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources can be found at http://dnr.wi.gov/org/aw/wm/recycle/issues/plasticbagsFAQ.htm.