Paper or plastic?

Question

You know how you go to the grocrey store/ other stores and the bagger says "which would you perfer?" Well which one is more enviromentally friendly? Also which do you prefer?

Answer 1

I've purchased enough fabric now to make tons of tote bags, so that question will no longer be coming up for me.

However I prefer paper. The trees used to make paper bags (and other paper products) are grown on land just as crops like corn and wheat are grown. The land is privately owned usually by places like Weyerhauser. The difference is the trees take 10-30 years to produce their crop, and in the mean time the provide some habitat for animals and birds. Most other crops, like corn and wheat provide little to no habitat and are of course harvested every year.

I have a multitude of ways to re-use paper bags. I rip off one long, wide side of the paper bags, and use them to cover turkeys, when I roast them in the oven. Works much better, and much easier than cheese cloth, and no the bags do not burn.

I use the paper bags to store wool from my sheep, and angora goats in. Wool must be stored in paper, not plastic, as plastic will make the wool rot, and develop fungus.

Have you ever seen a cat playing in a paper bag? Hours of entertainment there!

I raise rabbits. Unfortunatly the rabbits must be raised in cages, or foxes, feral dogs, coyotes, raccoons, skunks, feral cats, ect would soon make short work of them. I do not like raising animals in cages, so I try to enrich their environment. Besides having cages 3-4 times larger than the "reccomened" size, I provide them with brown lunch sacks filled with fresh alafalfa hay. The rabbits have a great time with them, chewing on them, pawing them, laying on them, eating them, carring them about, tossing them about, ect. It gives them something to do, and play with.

I've lived on the coast of Washington state. I've seen the sad effects plastic bags have on sealife. I've seen a seal with it's flipper half rotted off, because of a plastic bag stuck on it. I've seen seagulls and other shore birds tangled in varrious ways in bags.

Paper is a renewable recycleable resource. They are not cutting down old growth forest to make paper bags.

They are importing oil to help make plastic bags. Once plastic is made, it's plastic. It may break down (in a few hundred years or even thousand) but it's still plastic. It re-enters our food chain as plastic.

So it's your choice. Now when they ask me, "Kill a tree, or strangle a bird, Lady?" I'm able to say, "No thanks, use my bags please." (Cloth bags that last for years are the way to go)

~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 2

Plastic takes longer to breakdown. Which may be better because carbon in sequestered (stored) longer. Thus helping to reduce greenhouse gasses. But then you gotta worry about all the landfill space.

However, paper may be better on reducing greenhouse gasses because young forests sequester carbon faster than older forests. Thus helping to reduce greenhouse gasses. But then you gotta worry about the carbon being released into the atmosphere from the paper decomposing.

Recyling of both of these products uses energy, adding to greenhouse emissions.

Or just use your own canvas bags. Then the manufacturing of paper and plastic won't help contribute to greenhouse gasses. Then the forests can be used for timber instead of pulp. That way the carbon can remain sequestered in the wood for a longer time. Reusing is better than recyling if given the choice.

Answer 3

paper..
its made from trees, yes, but when its put back into the ground as landfill, it'll easily dissolve, unlike plastic, which is so much more tough....

hey.. did you know that most grocery stores might get rid of plastic bags all together?
my grandma just told me this a few weeks ago

Answer 4

I always used to prefer plastic but now I don't use either. Go with cloth sacks that can be re used or try to re use the plastic or paper ones given to you at the store.

Answer 5

Bring your own bag when you know you will be shopping. If I don't have a bag with me, it's usually plastic, I re-use them for trashcan liners, or to bring my lunch to work. If your a parent, plastic bags really come in handy for diaper changes and dirty clothes while on the go!

Answer 6

Both have their plus and minus points.Paper bags can be recycled,degrade faster but are made from tree pulp and are not able to carry heavier contents,Plastic ones can take up to 500 years to degrade,choke drains/pipes ,contain toxins and other health hazards but save on trees,carry heavier contents and can be partially recycled.[new technology].Under the circumstances,it would be prudent to use both depending upon type and purpose of usage.

Answer 7

Paper is better for the environment, because it can be recycled easlier, and it is biodegratable. If you want to be really environmentally friendly, try re-using bags.

Answer 8

paper. because plastic takes a long time to digest into the ground. just go with paper

Answer 9

Use reusable cloth bags. Those are the most environmentally friendly.

Answer 10

Choose Paper! It can be recycled, plastic isn't so much..paper will degrade, plastic won't.