that is exactly the opposite of what is supposed to happen. you use plastic if they are made from recycled plastic. you don't use paper because of the destruction of forests. environmentalits encourage the use of fabric bags that can be used an infinite amount of times
2006-12-07 15:05:52
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answer #1
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answered by Adam B 2
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"What's Left Over" or "What Do I Do With It Now?"
Although is has been calculated that the environmental impact between paper and plastic are very similar, it must be taken into consideration as to what to do with it at the end of it's life cycle. Plastic can only be recycled so many times before the polymers are effectively useless, and recycled bags are not used to make new bags, so really it is not 'recycling' (bigger loop -vs- multiple loops) The process with paper is similar.
So now you have to look at what you have at the end of the life of the material and the replacement costs. The paper will degrade into safe mulch, and I happen to use them in the garden as a weed barrier. The plastic will degrade into harmful gasses and inert particles which have been shown to harm soil flora & fauna.
Replacement of plastic bags requires dependency on petroleum as the source of the polymer. The benefits of the properties of polymers are very useful in making long life durable goods, like lighter, more efficient, and safer automobiles, but not neccissarily for one time use items like straws, cups, or bags. Paper on the other hand comes from a renewable source, mostly trees, but Kanef and Hemp are better sources of paper fiber. This makes it ideal for the sometimes neccissary one time application such as cups, plates, and bags. Paper though does have some questionable production practices. The most harmful of which was from whitening paper with chlorine which has mostly been replaced by sodium percarbonate. Even so, this issue does not apply to the grocery style bag.
Paper as a waste is clean and it's production can be made cleaner, while plastic will always be what it is, non-renewable, toxic, and difficult to dispose of.
P.S. Landfill space isn't the big issue so much as to the amount of resources used to make the stuff will fill them with.
2006-12-07 16:24:23
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answer #2
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answered by Brian L 4
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Hold on there.
I suggest reading a book called "Rubbish" It was written in the early 1990's (around 1990-1992). At the time this book came out , there was a panic that disposable diapers ere going to cause landfills to fill up faster.
The Authors were Archaeologists and Anthropologists, and what they did was go to landfills throughout the world and several in the US. They took core samples by drilling deep into the landfill to see what was in there.
Guess what they found, not Styrofoam, not plastic. What they found was phone books. Phonebooks took up a lot of landfill space. They were able to pull up phonebook samples from the 1950's from inside these landfills.
This book uncovered the truth of what was really causing landfills to fill up and debunked the myths.
Think about it this way. How much petroleum is needed to create plastic bags, and what are the pollution risks. And what kind of chemicals are used to recycle paper that goes into the environment. There are risks in both that you need to weigh.
Remember, plastic is made from petroleum, while paper is made from trees. Paper is a renewable resource (the trees grow back), but how much chemicals are used in creating fresh paper and cleaning recycles paper. The paper companies are constantly growing more trees, otherwise they would run out of supply and go out of business.
2006-12-07 15:12:35
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answer #3
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answered by ? 6
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i imagine that must be a remarkable theory - and plastic only for leaky ingredients which include meat or fish. How about no packaging for most ingredients - that is a discomfort interior the proverbial to attempt to get into maximum packaging and that is unnecesssary. Why do they do it? human beings nonetheless offered their foodstuff many years in the past even as there have been no plastic bags or colourful boxes with their rediculous claims - which they seldom provide etc. human beings also must be able to opt for what number or how a lot of a few thing they purchase. i'm ill of dropping foodstuff - or eating a similar element a number of days in a row because i can not discover unmarried products. In Germany and in Latvia they could purchase a million egg or 3 eggs or although many they opt for! I understand merchants opt for to save issues an infection loose or tamper loose although the quantity of packaging is ludicrous!!!!
2016-11-30 07:23:13
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answer #4
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answered by ? 4
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Recycle both paper and plastic and you will help to slow the amount of trash being created.
"One mans trash is another man treasure."
2006-12-07 15:20:23
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answer #5
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answered by r_e_a_l_miles 4
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Paper can solve pollution. Plastic effects our ozone. either way we are screwed though because if you look at it loosing trees is not really helping our ozone. Hope i could help.
2006-12-07 15:07:50
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answer #6
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answered by chica 1
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Sustainable Resources.
Renewable Resources.
Paper comes from trees, which can be replanted.
Plastic comes from fossil fuels, which take thousands & thousands of years to renew.
2006-12-07 15:07:03
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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paper is reusable while plastic doesnt detoriate for years and years
2006-12-07 15:05:02
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answer #8
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answered by word 3
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Plastic is not biodegratable
Paper is
2006-12-07 15:10:38
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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paper is biodegradable
2006-12-07 15:05:36
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answer #10
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answered by DARKGREYMOOSE 2
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