Paper or Plastic?

If I asked you this question right now, I bet you would say paper. After all, plastic is the scourge of the world right now, isn't it? It litters the ground in inconvenient places, chokes and kills marine life, and is made of fossil fuels. So it must be worse for the environment and we should never use plastic, right?

As with everything in environmentalism (and life), it's more complicated than that.

A (Very) Quick History of Plastic Bags

In 1953, high density polyethylene (HPDE) was developed by Karl Ziegler and Erhard Holzkamp to give plastics more strength, flexibility, and durability. At the time, HPDE was mostly used for pipes (today we might know HPDE in the form of PVC). In 1965, though, a Swedish company called Celloplast invented the plastic bag as we know it today.

It wasn't until the 1980s that plastic bags became widely used in grocery stores. People were concerned over the environmental effects, production costs, and durability of paper shopping bags, so plastic bags seemed liked the perfect solution. Paper bags became demonized and plastic bags were viewed as the savior of the environment, a product that would drastically reduce deforestation and emissions.

The Perks and Problems of Plastic

The thing is, it can be argued that plastic is better for the environment. For one, plastic bags don't require deforestation and mass use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. No

deforestation means no destruction of natural habitats, and no use of fertilizers and pesticides means no eutrophication of water or pollution of soil. Plastic bags are also lighter and more durable, using less fuel to transport them to different locations and being able to withstand conditions such as rain or snow.

Plastic bags are even cheaper and more efficient to produce. The plastic grocery bags that we use today are made from ethylene, a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, or petrol. In essence, the ethylene is captured and pressurized before it can be burned off into the atmosphere. According to the plastics industry, the cost to produce one plastic bag is one penny, while the cost to produce one paper bag ranges anywhere from 3 to 10 cents.

In other words, more plastic bags can apparently be produced for less space, cost, and emissions.

The problem with plastic bags lies in their inability to decompose when incorrectly disposed. Because of their abundance and lighter weight, most people see plastic bags as a one-use product. They're less likely to be careful with plastic bags and how they throw them away. Maybe they were thrown out of a car window, tossed aside, or just fell out of a garbage can because they weren't properly placed. I'm sure we've all seen the plastic bags floating around on the roads, on the beach, in the gutter, etc.

But sure. They're a one-use product. Out of sight, out of mind. Except that's not how that works.

The plastic bags that don't make it to the landfill or aren't recycled can take 10-20 years to

decompose, and even then the microplastics can remain in the water, in the soil, and in animals. They're an eyesore at best and a killer at worst. They cause endless problems in the ocean because sea creatures tend to ingest them, mistaking them for jellyfish or some kind of food. Most of these sea creatures will, at least, be severely ill if they don't die immediately.

Plastic bags have their uses, yes. They were created because of deforestation and chemical use concerns. However, the overabundance of them and the way that we dispose of them is causing more problems than they're worth at the moment.

Is Paper Better Then?

Not necessarily.

Paper is more easily disposed of than plastic bags. Paper grocery bags can be recycled almost anywhere while plastic grocery bags often have to be sent to special facilities for recycling. Paper grocery bags decompose much faster than plastic bags, and they can be reused for composting, writing, crafting, storage, and more.

Like I said before, though, the production of paper bags requires mass deforestation and use of chemical fertilizers that cause eutrophication and pollution from contaminated runoff. They're heavier and take up more space than plastic bags, meaning it takes more fuel to transport them to stores, and they aren't as durable as plastic bags. They're more expensive to produce, they have more immediate effects on the environment, and they seem more prone to damage.

It is important to note that the points about decomposition that I'm mentioning have more to do with things that are improperly disposed of. Things that go to landfills don't necessarily decompose, they're just stored. Everything in a landfill will decompose eventually, but it will be much slower than it normally would.

From a landfill perspective, paper bags aren't actually worse than plastic bags. They do take up more space, but plastics account for 19% of landfills, while paper accounts for 13%. Overall, though, this doesn't make too much of a difference in which bag is better. Paper may be less damaging as it decomposes, but it's damaging to produce. Plastic may be less damaging to produce, but its much more damaging as it decomposes.

What About Reusable Bags?

In my opinion, reusable bags are generally better for shopping. They're much stronger, usually hold more groceries, and they're prettier. But in truth, reusable bags take a substantial amount of water and cotton to produce. They aren't free of emissions and fertilizers either.

To break even with the energy used to create the bag, you'll have to use it 131 times. However, reusable bags generally last for a very long time. Wore it through on the bottom? Patch it up with a little sewing and you're good to go. Broke the strap? Again, sew it up, or use duct tape.

Reusable bags do need energy to produce, and they aren't cheap either. They can be reused practically indefinitely, but the amount that you have definitely matters. Replacing plastic or paper grocery bags with a reusable tote is good until you buy 16 bags because you think they all look good, and "it's reusable, so I'm doing something good." It doesn't matter how many you have, it matters how much you use it.

So...Paper or Plastic?

Neither. Neither one is better. Both of them have terrible effects on the environment. What one bag doesn't fix, the other one does. What one bag does fix, the other one doesn't. There is no clear winner here.

So what do you do?

Reuse.

Drill it into your head. Reuse what you have. Get rid of the mentality that things are single-use. Whatever resource you have, as long as it still serves its purpose, use it. And if it doesn't serve its original purpose, find a new purpose for it. use it until you can't possibly use it for anything anymore, then recycle it.

Whatever bag you end up using, whether it be a reusable bag, a plastic bag, or a paper bag, never use things once. Reusing things reduces the amount that you need, which lowers the amount that is thrown away. Use as little as you can get away with in your life.

In my opinion, reusable bags are the best for the environment and for long-term use. But if you can't get one, reuse everything. Compost your paper bags. Bring your plastic bags back to the grocery store. Never use things once unless it completely falls apart after one use (if it does that, maybe get something of better quality next time).

Start by changing how you use things and how you think. Once you've done that, it's much easier to make the switch to greener products. When you establish the lifestyle and attitude, the materials come with it eventually.

Live Green everyone!