Paper or Plastic? The Answer is Neither

TreeHugger Blog took a look at the age old question Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know.

Paper bags or plastic bags
Both paper and plastic bags require

• Lots and lots of resources
• Lots and lots of energy
• Proper recycling
  

All of these require that consumers and municipal waste collector or private recycling company participate; there are a lot of different variables that can lead to low recycling rates.

Bottom Line from their Research

Ultimately, neither paper nor plastic bags are the best choice; we think choosing reusable canvas bags instead is the way to go.

From an energy standpoint, according to this Australian study,

• Reusable Canvas bags are 14 times better than plastic bags
• Reusable Canvas bags 39 times better than paper bags
  

This is based on numbers that assume reusable canvas bags get reused at least 500 times during their life time.

Grab a Reusable My Green Sac Bag and go the next time you go shopping. Try our double sided My Green Sac from Cafe Press, or one of our collection of choices on Zazzle.

Sources:
Collin Dunn. July 9, 2008. Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know. TreeHugger.com

Australian Government. December 2002. Plastic Shopping Bags – Analysis of Levies and Environmental Impacts. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.