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