I have wondered for some time whether there was a real difference between "paper or plastic" in terms of environmental impact. Well I finally dug around for answer. And yes I know the best answer is "neither" since reusable bags are a far better alternative than using new ones of either type. But if for some reason you don't have reusables available, plastic (at least the ones that are labeled #2 HDPE recyclable) are the far better choice compared to paper, as explained here. Although this source begins by stating that it is basically a draw between the two, if you read on you see that plastic beats paper in every category but rate of recycling, which in my view doesn't directly impact the environmental impact.
3 comments:
"But if for some reason you don't have reusables available ..."
Thanks for the info. However, in some communities, especially coastal communities, the environmental damage caused by plastic bags goes beyond what it costs in terms of energy and pollution to produce and recycle them. Then there is the fact that most plastic bags are made with petroleum products, which we should be weaning ourselves off of and the true costs of such dependency aren't addressed in many of the plastic versus paper studies (there are some plastic bags out there that aren't made with petroleum products and are biodegradable IF composted and not put in a landfill).
I think that we have to be vigilant of the concern voiced by Aldo Leopold in the 1940s: "[i]n our attempt to make conservation easy, we have made it trivial." There are really very few compelling excuses for not having a reusable method of transporting purchases, but we will continue to use excuses that aren't valid until doing so impacts our pocket books, until government controls are put in place, or until People magazine puts a photo on its cover of Katie Holmes and Posh Spice using reusables (probably Prada designed) during their Rodeo Drive and Fifth Avenue paparazzi photo ops/shopping expeditions.
On a very remotely attenuated topic, is it too Naomi Kleinish to think that the Glad Product Company (owned by Clorox) probably saw opportunity in the aftermath of 9-11 and the fear of liquid explosives and lobbied to get the FAA to impose the 1 quart “plastic bag” rule for airline carry-ons?
NY Times: Back at Junk Value, Recyclables are Piling Up, By MATT RICHTEL and KATE GALBRAITH
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/08/business/08recycle.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1228749248-y0C2Y4UzcxUzkVnIarmH9g
Great comments...I appreciate your sharing them :) PF
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