| So which will it be then, paper OR | | | | plastic, like other products with a |
| plastic, hmmm? The question is tough to | | | | petroleum base, comes from oil, which is |
| avoid, unless you've figured out how to | | | | drilled from the earth, piped or trucked |
| eat without EVER going to the grocery | | | | and later refined. Some properties of |
| store. Chances are, most of us haven't | | | | oil are manipulated into five principal |
| given the choice too much thought - or | | | | types of polymers, during the process by |
| if we have, we remained clueless as to | | | | which plastic is made from oil. Plastic |
| which was the lesser of the two evils. | | | | bags are made from one of these five |
| Understanding the impact that paper and | | | | types, known as polyethylene, which is a |
| plastic bags have on the environment is | | | | highly manipulate-able material - it's |
| a great place to start. Inevitably, | | | | re-useable, printable, and can be |
| consciousness will lead you to purchase | | | | formatted into a variety of shapes, |
| a canvas or otherwise re-useable bag for | | | | sizes and colors. Although the process |
| your grocery shopping, but educating | | | | of making plastic requires energy and |
| yourself on the differences between | | | | may in fact do little else to damage the |
| paper and plastic is also a smart idea. | | | | environment, the negative effects of oil |
| The Troubles With Paper Bags | | | | drilling are numerous. |
| It's common knowledge that paper comes | | | | Plastic Bags and Recycling |
| from trees that are found and later | | | | In some ways, plastic bags are no |
| felled by the logging industry. Logging | | | | different from paper - including the |
| involves machines -- from the machines | | | | fact that post-use, they either end up |
| used to remove the trees from the | | | | in a landfill or they get recycled. In |
| forests, to the logging trucks or | | | | the landfill, however, it will not |
| helicopters involved in the process of | | | | compost, and actually interrupts the |
| harvesting, to the machines used to | | | | breaking down of other garbage products |
| strip the bark - and like anything | | | | with which it is mixed in the landfill. |
| involving machines, fossil fuels are not | | | | In most cases, to recycle the material, |
| far behind. Forest habitat is destroyed | | | | one merely has to melt it down (thereby |
| in the process, and surrounding ecology | | | | sterilizing it) and then form it into |
| is negatively impacted. Sources say | | | | another shape, for instance, a new bag. |
| that "in 1999, 14 million trees were cut | | | | Recycling of plastic bags can take place |
| to produce the 10 billion paper grocery | | | | many times before the material becomes |
| bags used by Americans that year alone." | | | | too brittle to go through the process; |
| To accelerate the drying process that | | | | after these stages of recycling, it can |
| trees must go through in order to be | | | | still take on another use as a different |
| prepared for pulp, they are stripped, | | | | functional product. |
| chipped and "cooked" under heat with an | | | | When plastic is burned during recycling, |
| acid (composed of sulphurous acid and | | | | it can create dioxins and release heavy |
| limestone), for hours. From nearly three | | | | metals into the atmosphere; the ash from |
| tons of these wood chips will come one | | | | burning plastic is toxic and needs |
| ton of pulp, which must be washed and | | | | special consideration during disposal. |
| bleached, requiring large amounts of | | | | In landfills, plastic does not break |
| clean water. Coloring is later added, | | | | down - it always remains plastic, maybe |
| after which the mixture of pulp and | | | | just in smaller pieces that mix in with |
| water is filtered and rolled into paper. | | | | the earth. |
| Through production, packaging and | | | | So Which Does Green Eggs and Planet |
| shipping, more fuels and chemicals are | | | | Think Is Better? Paper or Plastic? |
| used and further environmental damage is | | | | On the plus side, both materials can be |
| sustained. | | | | recycled, and both materials have |
| Paper Bags and Recycling | | | | multiple uses beyond the initial holding |
| After a paper bag is used, it will | | | | of the groceries. The manufacture of |
| either end up in a landfill or it will | | | | both paper and plastic bags burns |
| be recycled. Eventually, after many | | | | through natural resources, and both |
| years, the paper bag will break down in | | | | cause damage to the environment during |
| the landfill. At the recycling center, | | | | production. While paper is more |
| through the use of chemicals to break | | | | recycle-able than plastic, it also |
| down the materials and clean them, the | | | | results in the destruction of more |
| paper becomes pulp once more. Paper bags | | | | resources through the process of paper |
| eventually break down and can be | | | | production. I think if you are going to |
| composted, unless they are covered with | | | | use paper OR plastic bags at the super |
| printing and ink. | | | | market, I would say to make sure you |
| The Saga of the Grocery Store Plastic | | | | maximize the uses you get out of either, |
| Bag | | | | and more importantly, be sure to |
| Some people overlook the fact that | | | | recycle. |