Paper Bag

People usually have three choices for grocery bags: traditional polyethylene bags, compostable bags, and paper bags. Customers often deem compostable and paper bags more environmental than traditional polyethylene bags. In fact, they are all equally harmful to the environment, without recycling or reusing.

            Making compostable and paper bags needs more energy and resources. According to a study by Boustead Consulting and Associates, an institution to assess environment problems, paper bags manufacturers invest almost four times the energy as polyethylene bags manufactures do. Furthermore, both paper and compostable bags use far more fossil fuel and 20 times more fresh water than plastic bags. Plastics bags consume a larger amount of crude oil and natural gas than paper bags.

            Most paper comes from trees. Robynn Shrader, the chief executive office for National Cooperative Grocers Association, says "Each year the United States consumes 10 billion paper grocery bags, requiring 14 million trees." He adds, "Paper bag production delivers a global warming double-whammy; forests have to be cut down, and then the subsequent manufacturing of bags produces greenhouse gases."

            Producing these three kinds of paper pollutes the environment. Kraft paper is made by heating wood chips under pressure at high temperatures in a chemical process. Using toxic chemicals in manufacturing these three types of bags leads to air pollution and water pollution. Ann Thompson, Chief Environmental Correspondent of NBC News, says "The production of paper bags creates 70 percent more air pollution than plastic, but plastic bags create four times the solid waste — enough to fill the Empire State Building two and a half times. And they can last up to a thousand years."

            Shopping bags are killing animals in wildlife. Angela Spivey, a biology professor in Boston University, says "Plastic waste is deceptive for birds and other wildlife, who mistake it for food. Especially if you live on the coast, as your plastic waste is more likely to make its way to marine life and sea birds. And you can imagine how eating plastic messes with an animal's intestine. As a result, animals can die of starvation."

            The recycling rates of these three disposable bags are extremely low. According to the Wall Street Journal, 85-90% of paper bags are not recycled. 94.8% of plastic bags are not recycled referring to a report from Boustead Associates. During the process of recycling disposable bags, more resources and energy are needed. The recycling paper bag process consumes more fuel than the process of making a new.

            People choose paper instead plastic. They may believe paper will biodegrade faster than plastic will break down in a landfill. The speed of paper degrading depends on the temperature, ph value of the soil, and the type of bacteria present and form of paper. In addition, it takes about 91% more energy to recycle a pound of paper than a pound of plastic. Grocery stores often choose plastic bags because of the cheap price. The average family of four uses 1,500 plastic bags each year.

            In 2007, Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams called together the retailers to try to control the proliferation of plastic bags. They break down over months rather than thousands of years. In 2008, China proclaimed a law to control both paper and plastic bags usage. Consumers in China need to pay extra money for bags. San Francisco limits consumers' choice, allowing only biodegradable plastic bags.

           Dr. Spivey adds, "As early as 2002, the Irish government charges shoppers a 0.15 euro tax on every bag used. Even Bangladesh, after drainage clogs caused by wayward bags contributed to two floods, banned them from its capital city. In the United States, plastic bags are used heavily, and their recycling rate is low." However, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not see plastic bag overuse as a problem. EPA would like to see plastics as a whole recycled at a higher rate, plastic bags as a specific commodity haven't been a huge issue. According to Dr. Spivey, EPA mentioned the problems in Ireland and Bangladesh occurred in part because those countries' waste disposal infrastructures are not as advanced as that of the United States.

            For the choice between paper and plastic, Thompson suggests, "For both types of bags, the environmentalist mantra is the same — reuse and recycle. But the best choice, they say, is cloth or canvas, and BYOB — bring your own bags."