The Problem with "plastic or paper"
Loaded Landfills. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade, breaking down into smaller toxic pieces. Paper bags do not degrade any faster than plastic. In modern landfills nothing completely degrades due to lack of water, light, oxygen and other necessary degradation elements. One bag doesn’t take up much space, but millions do. The Wall Street Journal put the number of plastic bags used at 100 billion per year in the US alone.
Wildlife. Plastic bags are light, and can blow in the wind. They fly into trees and into wildlife habitat. Animals can consume these plastics, and perish. Plastic bags can be a deadly killer to wildlife & Marine Life. Many marine animals are killed each year from ingesting plastic bags. Sea turtles, water birds, and other creatures mistake them for food or become entangled in them.
Litter. We may think we’ve thrown out a plastic bag but many of them may blow out of trash cans and become litter. Some are carelessly tossed aside causing urban tumbleweed.
Paper bags consume more energy than plastic. It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag.
Suffocation Hazzard. Ever read the warning on plastic bags? “This bag is not a toy and can cause suffocation of small children.”
The Solution:
Cost. Reusable bags are inexpensive by comparison and last for many years, saving you money over the long haul.
Durability. Reusable bags are strong and can endure many shopping trips over the years.
Shopper incentives. Many stores offer shoppers discounts and program points for bagging with reusables. Your bag can pay for itself if just a few trips to the supermarket.
Efficient Shopping. It’s quicker to load your car with a few reusables, than with numerous plastic floppy sloppy bags. It’s also more efficient to carry a few sturdy reusable bags home. Just throw them over your shoulder!
Multipurpose. Reusable bags can be used for tasks beyond grocery shopping. Flea markets, beach bags, fitness bags, ect. - the options are endless.
Challenge Yourself and Others:
Think twice about taking a plastic bag if your purchase is small and easy to carry.
Keep compact reusable bags in your home, office, and car so you will always have them available when you go to the supermarket and other stores.
Ask your favorite stores if they will offer a bag credit for using reusable bags.
Try to go at least one week without accumulating any new plastic bags. If every shopper took just one less bag each month, this could eliminate the waste of hundreds of millions of bags each year.
As Ed Norton says- Bag the Bags! (thanks to National Geographic)