The debate over paper vs plastic bags continues, with both having environmental drawbacks. Paper is biodegradable but requires energy and tree felling, while plastic can take ages to degrade and produces harmful gases. Biodegradable plastics made from organic materials are a potential solution, but paper bags made from recycled materials are currently the better option. Ultimately, a suitable replacement for petroleum-based plastics is needed for a truly environmentally friendly solution.
The debate over paper or plastic grocery bags has no apparent end in sight. It’s possible to argue that both materials are the most environmentally responsible, but some have solved the problem by switching to reusable cloth sacks. While this solution may be elegant, most consumers still face the question every time they shop. To decide between the two choices, it might be helpful to examine what is meant by ‘better for the environment’. Paper is more biodegradable, but requires tree felling and processing. Plastic can take ages to break down, but it produces less energy.
Very few manufacturing processes have absolutely no negative impact on the environment. In the paper versus plastic debate, paper is often promoted as the wiser choice for the environment due to its organic nature and biodegradability. Grocery bag paper is created from natural wood pulp derived from an abundant supply of commercial trees. No artificial colors are added and paper grocery bags degrade relatively quickly in landfills and other sites. From the point of view of biodegradability and raw materials, paper would seem to be better for the environment.
Paper bags have to be made somewhere, however, and that means factories that require significant amounts of energy to operate. These factories also dump waste products into local waterways and the air. Trees act as carbon dioxide traps and also provide fresh oxygen to everyone on Earth. If the paper industry does not maintain a program to replace the trees it uses for production, the environment as a whole could suffer. When it comes to responsible use of natural resources, biodegradable plastics may have a slight edge.
Proponents of plastic shopping bags suggest that traditional petroleum-based plastics may not be as environmentally friendly as organic paper, but manufacturers can produce many more plastic bags for the same amount of energy expended. When factories are able to work more efficiently, the environment benefits too. It takes fewer natural resources like coal and gas to produce plastic bags in bulk, compared to the more labor-intensive manufacturing required to produce paper bags.
The problem with traditional petroleum-based plastic bags, from an environmental perspective, is their chemical nature. Plastic bags can take ages to degrade, and they vent gases that are harmful to the environment as they do. The bags can also block out sunlight, which can hinder the natural clearing process when small plants die. Newly developed biodegradable plastic bags made from non-oil sources have improved conditions somewhat, but there are still millions of traditional plastic bags lying virtually unchanged under the ground.
Plastic bags are actually recyclable, which should be a good step for the environment, but few customers actually return their plastic bags to the store. Paper bags, on the other hand, can be made from recycled materials and waste pulp from other processes. When it comes to recyclability, the paper versus plastic debate leans toward paper. However, if a biodegradable plastic shopping bag made from organic materials were to appear, the balance could become a little more balanced.
In short, paper bags in their current form appear to be better environmentally, even though anything that isn’t reusable is taking a toll on our natural resources. Of course, once a suitable replacement for petroleum-based plastics is found, the plastic bags of the future could be even better for the environment than today’s paper or cloth bags.
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