Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know

I wish Whole Foods (and other stores) had gone one step further and simply banned both paper and plastic. So now I see a bunch of people leaving WF with tons of paper bags.

I gave up non-reusable bags two years ago. I usually walk to the grocery store or other stores and take public transit anywhere farther, and it is so much better not having to worry about my bags breaking. Environment aside, on sturdiness alone the transition to reusable bags is worth it.

The only exception is take-out. I am not yet ready to give it up (mostly because although I thoroughly enjoy cooking, I don't currently have a kitchen, so cooking- and washing dishes in particular- is unusually difficult). But by the time I see my food it is already in a bag, sometimes a paper bag inside a plastic one. It makes me wince to see it, but I do recycle them and I try my best to reuse them too. And when eating out I try to eat at the restaurant whenever possible, but sometimes I can't.

After living in Europe for three years, I bought my own bags for the US too. I love them, and they hold more/are of higher quality than the alternatives! I even take them to clothing stores.

The main WholeFoods in Austin is "experimenting" with no bags at the checkout. You have to bring your own or buy their reusable bags.

I've been using long-handled canvas totes for groceries for 5 years, since moving into an apartment with on-street parking. I can sling many canvas bags full of groceries onto my arms/shoulders and carry them all in one trip. (I'm pretty strong.) Much better than locking up the car, bringing in a load, heading back out, loading up again, etc.

But it's the strength of canvas bags that is tops. I would flinch whenever I'd see the grocery store bagger put only 2 or 3 items in each plastic bag because they would rip otherwise.

Great post, I've always wondered about this! I think David is right about Whole Foods but just banning the plastic was at least a good step and might prepare shoppers to make the move to canvas. Plus, even I still forget my bags sometimes so it's nice to have something available. If only they charged money to use the paper bags, I think people would start remembering their own.

Great post, I've always wondered about this! I think David is right about Whole Foods but just banning the plastic was at least a good step and might prepare shoppers to make the move to canvas. Plus, even I still forget my bags sometimes so it's nice to have something available. If only they charged money to use the paper bags, I think people would start remembering their own.

what do you do if you have dogs and no yard. I have lots of great canvas bags but if I used them all of the time I would have nothing to clean up after my dogs. I have seen supposedly ecological pooper scoopers but they all have fancy packaging and such which seems counter effective.

I read in a SMH article that plastic bags are not so evil- bags are made from a byproduct of processing natural gas which would otherwise go to waste; they prevent all the other bits of rubbish from going everywhere and act as a stabiliser for the ground when put in landfil.

Treehugger thoughts?

( http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/bag-ban-carries-no-weight/2008/03/05/1204402553654.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2 )

I've started taking a couple of those lightweight Glad plastic containers(for fast food or doggie bags or donuts from the grocery store), a big cup (again for fast food or 7-11), a few strong bags (for groceries) and a few small bags (for fruit and veggies) and a small facecloth to dry my hands in the washroom.

It's not difficult to do.

I think banning plastic / paper bag use at stores is not the answer.

Now if municipalities, states, or countries imposed a hefty (no pun intended) tax for each paper or plastic bag used, that might be incentive enough for consumers to switch to reusable bags.

Call it a garbage impact fee. Retailers and grocers are taxed for each plastic or paper bag they hand out, and they in turn charge their customers for each bag they use.

While I totally agree that the best option is to take a proper reusable bag shopping (or not use a bag if you only have a couple of items and don't really need one).

I just took a look at the paper bags I have here in the kitchen (which I keep for holding composting materials), and both the Safeway and Lucky ones claim to be 35%-40% made of post consumer recycled material. How does that change those numbers above which seem to assume paper bags made entirely from new paper?

Also, there are implications beyond the energy cost that need to be included in the equation too. I suspect that paper bags are more likely to be recycled than plastic ones (especially since few cities allow plastic bags to be dropped in the blue cart). The post consumer impact of a plastic bag thrown in the landfill, or left to find its way into the ocean, is much higher than a paper bag.

I've always wondered about this and could never decide what was better... Six months ago I came to Holland, and you have to buy your plastic bags here... So you're more likely to re-use your bags over and over... Which I think is the best way to go! Plus if you're on a bike, a canvas bag is much easier to hold onto!

Odessa, Texas is the place where all the old plastic bags blow to die. Everywhere you look while driving through; bags stuck to fences and tumbleweeds. It's very disturbing. I think they also collect around the oil rigs that are everywhere, too. Its very sad I think.

City of Seattle is trying to jump on the band wagon with their own twist - adding a 20 cent fee for use of each paper or plastic bags at checkout (grocery, drug store and such to start). I attended the City Council meeting last night (timely article). It was packed - mostly by supporters. The biggest concern is the impact on lower income shoppers. The City said they'll provide a reusable bag to every household and several to those with lower income levels. The few grocery/retail representatives there that I heard seemed more concerned about the administration of a "per bag" fee and asked that it be a "per transaction" fee. Interesting. I would think that okay, if the transaction fee covered the average bag use of probably 3-4 bags (including one of them being double bagged of course).

One of folks I attended the meeting with estimated that her family was using over 1000 bags a year from grocery and drug stores before purchasing her 5 reusable bags.

I'm really excited about this ban. I'd think the conversion rate from non-reusable bag shoppers to using reusable bags will be huge - maybe 80% within a year of implementation. And for those who are morally or otherwise against the fee ... they can drive to the next city over and spend more on gas than they would the transaction fee.

Hi,

It's not as far-reaching as decided in China as mentioned in this blog, but you can't get any plastic bags in the major supermarkets in Belgium. You can buy reusable bags or pliable boxes instead.

Eddu

Bags.. Who would of thought that this would still be an issue? My husband I an realized the simplicity yet complexity of the problem last year and started educating schools and towns in NJ on reusable bags, recycling of plastic bags, and recovery programs. More and more we are seeing people use reusable bags in our area and we hope this habit becomes more main stream. Props for treehugger for not letting this issue fall of the table.
www.goriseup.com
We are more than a bag company!

Unless they are made from organic cotton, canvas bags are less sustainable than synthetic fabric bags.

I love this lame excuse people have about forgetting reusable bags in the car. Uh, how about walking back out to your car and getting them, lardasses.

My entire family uses canvas bags,we love them.Canvas is stronger and more comfortable to carry,plus you never have a bag break like plastic and paper.

I prefer to carry my own re useable bags each time!
www.FireMe.To/udi

About paper:

There are forests of trees grown just for paper. There is no clear cutting as the author implies in these forests. In some cases, there are 2 trees or more planted for every one harvested.

Also, you know those forest fires in California? Unmanaged forests naturally thin themselves. So either nature does it [and we try to stop it for some reason every year] or we do it.

Renewables are part of a life cycle.

Clear cutting and deforestation is bad, but cutting down trees for paper is no where near as bad as the author makes it out to be.

I use the Granite Gear Air Grocery Bag

http://www.granitegear.com/products/accessories/airgrocerybag

It packs down into a racquetball-sized attached stuffsack and has a key hook. It is brilliant.

Here's what I do: I get my groceries in plastic bags, but re-use them as trash bags. Saves money and on balance, I suspect it's the lesser evil from an environmental perspective too: it takes away the impact of manufacture and disposal of a) special-purpose trash bags I'd have to use otherwise, b) their packaging and c) the alternative canvas bags, which let's not forget, also have to be made and disposed of with some regularity as well.

very interesting and using cloth bags are the best way to go. i also agree banning of both in food products. however does any one knowhow much of plastic and paper goes into packaging technology gadgets stuff or making of currencies?

Is it common to recycle plastic bags?
Does every recycling center?
I do not believe mine does in Cincinnati.
I find it easier to carry paper bags onto the bus, or walk home with from the grocery store. And I have resused them before, but if my recycling center takes bags then i may switch.

I like to take my canvas bag but when i am on the run i don't have one on me unless i plan ahead of time so I usually choose paper because I know that i can recycle that in my home.

OK... silly article. I like the facts behind it and most items are interesting things to know. However, the article doesn't answer the question. If you ask which is better, plastic or paper, there are 2 options. Granted, it is best to take a bag that doesn't get thrown away. However, that wasn't the question. Are plastic or paper bags more environmentally clean when the entire equation is looked at? The above still isn't conclusive. A situation should be presented to clarify the question such as, "... you forget your re-usable bag at your girlfriend's house on the way to the grocery. You don't notice until you are checking out. Should you use a plastic to carry your condoms home or use paper?".

The bag issue is only small change.

If you want to make are real difference, you should concentrate on the packaging of the products - this is where the real impact on resources and landfills can be made.

Plastic bags have a much smaller contribution to these problems then packaging does, but it's a lot easier to deal with.

Emily, if you are reusing your plastic bags to clean up after your dogs, aren't you basically recycling them? Win-win if you ask me. I know it's not the same, but at least the bag IS getting used twice before ending up in a landfill.

If they added a sizable tax, all of which could go towards carbon offsets, the habits of people would change quickly.

We could get past this question because if everyone was charged a $1 per bag, paper or plastic, then they would start to keep bags on them the same way they keep their phone, or keys, or make up.

I've been carrying items home from stores for years now, people still give me a bad look. I also have some roll up micro-thin bags that can be easily tucked away in my car or girlfriend's purse.

It's not always easy using a canvas bag, either.
Check out the problems I've had:
http://www.gravyjefferson.com/2008/06/my-kick-ass-grocery-bag-always-gets-me.html

I'm surprised how so many people don't know about new technologies that can really help with the plastic problem of the world. There's this new additive from EPI (http://www.epi-global.com/) where you can simply add into the plastic mixture during production of conventional plastic products (bags, bottles, trays, packaging) that will make it biodegradable.

With the additive, the plastic will biodegrade 60% in 1.5-2 years in the landfill. The biodegrading process is triggered by heat, mechanical stress, moisture, light, bacteria. The additive only adds a few percent to the total production cost. This technology can really be applied to so many things and will change the world on how plastic is used and perceived.

This technology is already being used all around the world.

Looks like this post was inspired by reusablebags.com -- they have been waking people up to these basic facts and concepts in a big way for past 5 yrs. -- always great to see this issue getting attention so people learn to avoid ALL use-and-toss bags - whether paper or plastic

I really doubt that the virgin pulp referenced is from a non-renewable lumber operation and somehow contributing to deforestation. My feeling is that most wood pulp used in kraft paper comes from renewable forestry operations using trees that grow to effective maturity in just 5 to 10 years combined with recovering waste byproducts of less-renewable forestry operations such as bark and scrap from lumber milling operations.

Paper bags can be easily recycled and most paper bags I've gotten at the grocery store quote some percentage of recycled content.

I would wager that if you can point to a case for deforestation it's due to wood used in structural applications such as construction materials and shipping containers. Telephone poles, wooden posts, beams and boards for houses and decks, shipping pallets and so forth.

I just got back from living in Europe for a year, and am now accustomed to bringing my own bags to the grocery store. Almost all stores in northern Europe charge a small fee for each grocery bag used at the store (banning them outright is a bit absurd and unlikely to fly in our economy), roughly 50 euro cents. The bags are more durable and people hold onto them for reuse.

While Trader Joe's offers a rebate for bringing in your own bags, that strategy is less effective in the same way that organ donors are less frequent in the US versus Sweden. What do I mean? It's the opt-in versus opt-out concept. Swedes are automatically enrolled in the organ donor program unless they tick the box saying they do not wish to participate. In the US, however, Americans must opt-in (see The Paradox of Choice for more on the psychology of that).

It's the same thing here. You gotta be on the more persuasive end where money talks: in this case, forcing people to pay a very slight fee instead of rewarding them with something negligible. It'll force better habits instead of encouraging the status quo. Trader Joe's and WF can start doing this, as their customers already have the right mindset, in addition to the stores having very specialized products that are often harder (or in TJ's case, impossible) to find elsewhere. The proceeds can then go to environmental causes, etc. and they can also save on plastic bag costs themselves.

Furthermore, canvas bags aren't the only answer. While those are great for heavy lifting, there are also compact nylon styles (example here) that fold up into a small packet (slightly smaller than a fist) that you can throw into your workbag/purse or store in your car. I always have one of these on hand in my bag just in case I decide to go to a store on the fly. For heavy duty grocery trips, I bring along the big canvas bags as well.

Additionally, recycling seems to have the same effect on consumption that sunblock has on sun overexposure: it lulls the user into thinking he/she is okay in doing what is known to be bad. Just like sunblock is not so effective at stopping skin cancer (as recently disclosed in the news), recycling doesn't wipe the slate clean for garbage production. I have a friend whose household used plastic cups and plates for every meal and threw out 2 big bags of trash a day, just because they didn't want to wash dishes and thought recycling took care of it all.

But thankfully, unlike them, most people just need a slight nudge towards conservation.

Actually, plastic bags will degrade, but really slowly. Thats becouse polimer chains are very long, and microrganisms can "eat" them only from both ends. When polymers contains starch, degradation of starch cause breaking of chains, and in this way bacteries can start degradation process from multiples end, what will lead to faster decomposition.
Completly biodegradable polymers, like mentioned PHA or PLA are as good as the standart ones, but, they are approx. 10x more expensive..
( sorry for my english) :>

What about using paper for garbage bags. In landfills, don't they biodegrate? Does pastic? I use cloth bags most of the time but I will get paper and reuse them for trash!

Great post.
We have been using canvas bags for years now. Once you condition yourself to pack the bags when you shop, forgetting them just doesn't seem to happen anymore.
We do all our shopping at a local farmers market and pretty much everyone uses canvas bags. One thing I've noticed though is that people are still using those clear small plastic bags to put their vegetables in so some alternatives might be needed to combat this.

If you don't believe forrests are being clearcut for paper, go to Washington (state). I stood in the middle of a forrest that was completely cleared on one side of the mountain (10 years ago...). There was tree stumps, and nothing else. When we went down the mountain and went to cross the bay (sorry I was young, I don't remember names) on a ferry, I saw the paper mill... or smelled the paper mill. Don't tell me they don't clearcut for paper or anything else, that's just ignorance and not helping the problem.

I live in Venice, Italy and our local supermarket has a corn based plastic bag called Mater-Bi. It degrades and can be thrown in the compost.

We are trying to educate people of a third option. Our Perrons Shopping Box holds up to 55lbs in one box. One person can pull or push 2 easily. There is no lugging bags, no use of bags at all. These boxes last for years. Great for public transit users as well as walkers, everyone for that matter. Visit our website for some views of just how much you can load into each box. Long lasting, and reusable which is the way we would like to see the world go. Quality first.
If it has to be disposable, (many things don't), then those items should be made from biodegradable material. We also sell cornstarch based products that break down in 45-90 days.
Shannon Perrons
C/O Perrons Ecosolutions Inc
www.perronsecosolutions.com

Thank for an excellent article. This was TreeHugger at its best. No it's not an easy question and I spent the article reading and waiting in anticipation of the "when do they get to the part about canvas bags?"

I have been trying lately to go with the don't use any bags option. I can't seem to remember to bring in the bags that my mom so thoughtfully purchased for me so if I need a bag I will go with paper just for the ease of recycling. Yet, if I only buy a few items I will tell the person before being rung up that I don't want a bag. Try it and see how many people still try to force one on you or give you the oddest looks. I actually got into an argument with my pharmacist because he wanted me to take a bag!

Here's some information I came across this morning about recycling costs for those thin supermarket plastic bags:

http://tinyurl.com/29j93w/20080506/MULTIMEDIA02/80505016

Basically, according to this information, the cost of recycling the material is much higher than the cost of a new bag. The result is that most of them are entering landfills, or worse being blown by the wind and interfering with wildlife.

Bottom line I think is use reusable bags, but if you do forget them, or don't have enough, choosing paper over plastic still seems like the wiser choice overall, even if it is worse in terms of production footprint.

I think that most people want to do the right thing to protect the environment, and when they learn how harmful using both paper and plastic is, they are more likely to REUSE cloth bags.

With regard to the person who uses the plastic bags to pick up dog poop - that will MUMMIFY the dog's droppings - there are biodegradable bags that will allow the poop to biodegrade - like it's meant to do.

Some suggestions: It takes 28 days to establish a new habit. So, if you forget your bags, put your groceries or other items back into your cart, and roll it out to your car. Keep a cardboard box,or hopefully, you have your bags there. The aggravation may encourage you to remember to bring the bags the next time!

Remember, don't take plastic bags ANYWHERE - the pharmacy, the hardware store, etc...

I also like the idea of a green tax on the plastic or other bags - when a new product comes out that doesn't hurt the environment, then the tax goes away! That tax can go towards cleaning up the environment.

One of the products that I have on my website teaches children: Kids Kit To Save The World From Plastic Bags - and then THEY will remind you to take the bags that they make for you! (www.SustainableBags.NET)

But change must come from us all individually:Be the change you want to see. Remember, people run companies as well - and we must continue to press business owners by calling and writing to tell them that we want them to use less packaging as well! If you buy organic food, do you really want it in a plastic package that leaches chemicals into the food? Here you are spending more money for a quality product, and degrading it with it's packaging!

Also, look for all the other plastic you use in your life: disposable toothbrushes, razors, etc... Try and find the kinds where you only replace a small piece, rather than the entire item. You can get more ideas and share yours at my blog:
http://sustainablebags.net/blog/

Over the past year I have switched from using plastic garbage bags to simply putting my trash in my leftover paper bags from Whole foods. This has not only saved me money but has also allowed me to lower my carbon footprint. Also, the paper bags are nice because they fit in my trash can and also have easy handles for taking the trash out to my apartment's big bin. I also believe that my local trash authority has a program for weeding out recyclables from the main trash supply so hopefully the bag never ends up in the landfill at all.

Interesting article and posts. Some serious misinformation in both. A reader (and the writer) mention biodegradable plastic and additives that render plastic biodegradable. There has been much debate among the scientific community about this and the State of California is very close to banning the substance.

Nobody knows what really happens to the plastic once it is 'eaten up' by the microbes, and some of the claims about rapid biodegradation are false. CA has strict requirements on what can be called 'biodegradable'- time is the critical factor.

There are lot's of folks out there interchanging the terms compostable and biodegradable. Be careful when evaluating and jumping to conclusions about these materials- none are the holy grail we're all looking for. Did you know there are over 8,000 patents pending for Bioplastics at the moment?! Big money in this, but nobody has found the Holy Grail yet.

At my company we're looking to answer the other important questions- sustainability and carbon footprint- i.e. 'beggining of life/source of material', and 'mid-life', or 'what happens when this stuff is being produced?' As such we have found FiberStone™ paper from Natural Source Printing (.com) to be one of the most remarkable materials available as an alternative to BOTH paper and plastic.

At Holiday time you'll be seeing lot's of big name retailers using FiberStone™ gift bags, wrap, labels and banners. You'll see unit carton boxes out of it as well.

Do your homework folks. People are so focused on 'recyclability' and 'landfill'- where there are few answers, and should start looking at carbon footprint and natural resource depletion.

Martha Stewart showed how to make an easy bag from old t-shirts - something we all have tons of and a great way to recycle them as well. Just sew the hem closed, cut off the sleeves and cut off the neckband. Voila! A reusable bag with a handle. You can stitch around the neckline for extra strength, but it's not necessary.

that was a whole lot of posts to wade thru!
lots of good ideas
now for mine ---
1. get paper bags with handles if you can find them double or even better triple them up so they will be strong! I have some that I have been using now for 7 years - if the handles come off or become loose just staple them back on -- keep them in your car, in your house at work etc.
2. "Anything Into Oil" landfills should be outlawed & all garbage should either be recycled (metals) or turned into oil by the high temperature high pressure de-polymerization process
all sewage solids should also be made into oil - hello!! oil at $130.00 a barrel or more
3. no more separating plastics - they all get recycled by being turned back into oil from whence they came

The fact that a plastic bag needs more then 100 years to break down always brings me to use paper bag.

Option number three fails to answer the original question... What is better to use if you are the common non-invested consumer? On a fact by fact comparison what one leaves the smallest footprint?

A small discount grocery store chain I used to frequent years ago living in Illinois had a great system of keeping costs down plus being environmentally more friendly.

1) They didn't give away grocery bags. You had to pay .05 -.10 each (years ago) for them. If you brought your own GREAT! No charge.

2) To make it easier at the checkout, they would use an empty cart to load checked items into (like Sam's Club). There was a long counter along the wall near the checkout to go to so you could sack your own groceries.

We could also use some of the leftover boxes they had to sack groceries into also just like Sam's too.

I think the challenge for switching over to reusable bags is that most grocery stores aren't set up for it when you check out. The checkout bagging area is inadequate and awkward in a lot of stores, especially if you've bought more than a bag or two of groceries.

A small discount grocery store chain I used to frequent years ago living in Illinois had a great system of keeping costs down plus being environmentally more friendly.

1) They didn't give away grocery bags. You had to pay .05 -.10 each (years ago) for them. If you brought your own GREAT! No charge.

2) To make it easier at the checkout, they would use an empty cart to load checked items into (like Sam's Club). There was a long counter along the wall near the checkout to go to so you could sack your own groceries.

We could also use some of the leftover boxes they had to sack groceries into also just like Sam's too.

I think the challenge for switching over to reusable bags is that most grocery stores aren't set up for it when you check out. The checkout bagging area is inadequate and awkward in a lot of stores, especially if you've bought more than a bag or two of groceries.

What gets me is that we all debating the paper v's plastic topic and saying that re-usable bags are the way to go.
Which is strange seeing as the majority of re-usable bags (particularly the ones found in supermarkets) are made from polypropylene (aka plastic). So when our re-usable bags break or wear out we are still faced with the same issue of the bag not breaking down and it will take up so much more space in land fill than standard plastic bags.

It's sad to read this because it reminds me how mych this is all affecting the wildlife and our planet in general. I am definitely buy more totes and recommending them to friend and family. I hope many other people will do the same.

In your description of paper recycling, you failed to mention that the pulp fibers break down into smaller fibers during the recycling process.

The paper industry, more often than not, use soft wood trees to make their paper because the fibers are longer, and make a stronger paper in the end. By recycling paper, you end up with broken fibers, which equate to a weaker paper.

Also, (in the US) most paper companies use tree farms, and do not destroy existing ecosystems by that very reason. Yes, at one point the land was converted into a tree farm, but then it becomes no different than any other farm land used for any other crop. There are many benefits to their using tree farms, the greatest of which are ease of acquiring virgin pulp, and knowing the conditions the trees are grown in.

You also fail to mention that every paper bag that ends up in the waste stream, and ends up in a sanitary landfill, does NOT biodegrade, and therefore, takes up more space than a plastic bag following the same route. Sanitary landfills are designed to prevent bio degradation, because once capped, it would only cause instability, off-gassing, and eventual collapse of the landfill cap.

I've learned all of this from my years in college, and as a packaging engineer, so I'm sorry I have no specific references to back this up. In the interest of transparency, my packaging career almost entirely depends on paper, as I am a corrugated and paperboard packaging designer, so for me to be pointing out the downfalls of paper bag usage does not benefit me.

Please research these points as you see fit, and include whatever you glean from this comment in your article. The more information people have, the more informed decisions can be made.

For those of you who use a reusable canvas style bag, what do you use for your kitchen trash bags? Do you buy bio-plastic bags? Or...? I have a small kitchen trash can, which the paper bags from the market just fit into. I compost, to keep volume down. But am trying to figure out the best alternative if I go canvas. Ultimately, I don't think it's a good idea to hand carry trash to the large 30 gallon trash can, as that would then need to be washed out every so often, wasting water. Any suggestions?

Once people start using totes, they don't want to go back. I LOVE them! It makes carrying your groceries so much easier. I've even bought smaller zipper versions from Target so I can keep them in my purse. My local grocery stores now keep their tote stock at the end of the grocery line. That way if you forget your own, you can buy one for 99 cents. The only disadvantage to not using plastic bags, I 'm starting to run low on my dog's "poop" bags. :)

i like plastic and paper bags WAY better than these stupid reusable bags!!

jw, I got your forest management right here.
I live in the foothills in California and I would say,
Forest Management is taking out the small trees to
thin it, Logging is taking out the big trees and leaving ugly stumps. I see Logging where those
signs say they are being "managed".

I love the reusable bags. And like Elizabeth, have bought several from Target because they are so inexpensive and zip up so small. However, I have the same issue several others have, I have a dog. In the yard, I can use a single bag and a scooper, like you would use for a litter box. When we take our daily walks though, I'm not in a position to buy enough biodegradable bags to do the job. I feel terribly guilty, but in an economy where many people are giving up their cats and dogs because they can't afford to feed them I know I'm not alone. Responsible dog owners don't want to "MUMMIFY" their dogs' droppings, but we need some better options.

wow,,i should have thought of that before..but i suggest that every countrys government should have the effort to collect scattered plastic bags and recycle them...

You reached the conclusion that "canvas" bags are better without discussing how they are manufactured. What are they made of, and did you notice they are made in China--that's a lot of bag-miles.

Also, paper and plastic bags can be reused too. How many times does the study assume that the paper and plastic bags are reused?

Canvas bags are obviously orders of magnitude more to produce per unit since you have to buy them for $1.99 whereas paper and plastic are given out free.

This is a fascinating article. Plastic ftw.

there are a lot of stores in chicago that are either giving a discount for bringing your own bag or starting to charge for needing paper or plastic. either way, with everyone jumping on the bandwagon, i feel guilty when i DON'T bring my own bags. i got a goody green bag for my bday and i love it. it's the first one i've seen that is actually cute and i find myself using it as a purse sometimes. goodygreenbag.com...i want to buy myself a few more in different patterns!

Buy only what you can carry in your arms. Walk to the store.

Plastic ends up on the oceans surface-killing the normal state gas exchange and the light for the plankton. The plankton generates the most of the oxygen for our planet. The ocean is our biggest buffer for climated change.This is a problem getting worse and is not going to be solved.

paper -no see above

reusabel bags have to be manufactored somewhere causing pollution. Transporting the baga to the store causes pollution. They can break down and be the same result as the plastic problem in the oceans

Over 200 million tons of plastic are manufactured annually around the world. Of those 200 million tons, 26 million are manufactured in the U.S. The EPA reported that only 5.8% of those plastics was recycled, although this is increasing rapidly.
While PHA and PLA bags are good for the environment people should know that they compete with food production. The primary feedstock is currently corn. For the U.S. to meet it's current output of plastics production with BP's (Biodegradable Polymers) it would require 1.62 square meters per kilogram produced. While this space requirement could be feasible, it is always important to consider how much impact this large scale production could have on food prices and the oppurtunity cost of using land in this fashion versus alternatives.
Paper bags...the envrionmental impact here is huge, and these bags can last for over 30 years in a landfill.
Why ban plastic bags when you can make them all 100% landfill biodegradable. BIOtech Products LLC of Randolph, NJ has the answer. They have patented a formula that is non toxic, contains no heavy metals, or harmful carcinogens. The methane it produces can be used as fuel and the chlorine content produced has been proved to make the surrounding area more fertile.
What is my point here? Why try to beat them when you can join them? With this patented formula all you do is add it to the current plastic bag production to make them 100% landfill biodegradable. It's that simple. There is no difference in the bag except it's made GREEN!

Our company is focused on providing a variety of shopping bag solutions to all our clients. We provide quality paper bags at competitive prices and great customer service. Our customised products are designed to suite your requirement, project your brand image and offer extremely good value for money
www.akademiksambalaj.com

plastic bags are very dangerous we should be using green bags instead.........................

Many years ago before anyone ever thought that there might be something wasteful about coming home with 12 paper or plastic bags every week, my wife and I used to put all of our groceries in two huge backpacks. The cashiers thought we were nuts but I see a lot of college students doing that now. Anything is better than diposable bags.

My family uses reusable canvass bags. If we do get plastic bags, then we get them at Target because then we reuse them (doggy doo-doo bag.) Targets plastic bags are alot sturdier than Fareways or Dollar Generals.

i support %100 reusable bags, but i find some other for paper bags get overlooked. The grocery store i work for (SOBEYS), offers both paper and plastic bags, a well as reusable bags. with paper bags, we offer a 3 cent rebate per bag when a customer reuses their paper bags. the paper bags are quite sturdy, and most customers i talk to have been able to reuse the bags up to 10 times before wearing them out and having to recycle or compost them

i think that paper and platsic are both BAD! first paper uses and destroyes alot of trees every year. Second plastic goes through the sew age pipes into the ocean and the sea animals/birds mistake it for food and they could suficate and die or choke on it..there fore it would be our own fault if there are no more sea animals in the ocean. But now u can help DONT use PLASTIC or PAPER use %100 reusable bags. Thats what i belive and everybody out there that like to cut down trees or go and hurt/kill animals dont! you are harming man kind!

I haven't read every comment, but I'd like to see the plastic shopping bag issue/conversation WIDENED to include addressing what must be an equally pressing problem - the proliferation of plastic bag waste from food packages themselves and the INNER bags within packages. For the most part shopping bags can be reused, regardless of what they are made of. But my sense if that very few consumers reuse bags that have been ripped open or that have food particles on them.
And not too many of these bags appear to be recyclable or biodegradable.
Think of the typical bag inside a cereal carton, or a frozen food bag. The average paper or plastic shopping bag has a plethora of these baby plastic bags inside it when it leaves the store.
Obviously this is a reason to shop at Farmers Markets for unpackaged food, and to reject using the plastic bags that are provided there, in favor of an assortment of small fabric reusables or simply putting loose produce in one's bag.
This is what we'll have to do anyway when we run out of resources for plastic or it becomes prohibitively expensive.

I hear there is talk of stopping using the plastic bags here in Washington state in June. I have three of the green bags but sometimes need more than that.

I'll just use card board boxes, they hold a lot and there are tons of them around and they last well.

Great article about paper and plastic from a guy who's been through it all in the health food industry. Check it out:
http://cousinrichie.com/

Reusable bags are better for energy bags, but do you realize that they still have plastic in it? The only non-plastic ones is if they are 100% cotton or wool. Plus studies are finding that reusable "cloth" bags may not be the best due to mold, E-coli, and other bacterial products, since it's an ideal breeding ground.

http://www.cpia.ca/files/files/A_Microbiological_Study_of_Reuseable_Plastic_Grocery_Bags.pdf

Hi

In thinking about the best option for bags there are a few items that can be considered.

the CO2 generated in transport, extrusion, converting, warehousing, office overhead and distribution of the bags - one source that I have seen puts this figure at 1.95 Kg of CO2 for every Kg of Polyethylene

Embodied energy in the bags - if you are going for the reusable PP bags (that look like fabric) then you need to consider that these are quite energy intensive and in Australia, heavy on the use of masterbatch for colour. When you have finished with these bags, if they are not recycled then they take a comparatively long time to break down.

There is an additive that you can add to normal polyethylene - its made by the Company EPI. This additive increases the price typically by less than 10 %. The have constructed there product so that the biodegradability is in two parts - firstly the bag degrades (into smaller pieces) and secondly it turns into a biomass. These bags are widely sold in Australia, but do not currently meet the Standard here for biodegradability. There is a lot of discussion about the environmental benefits of the bags as you end up with smaller and smaller pieces of plastic in the environment. Personally I think that this is probably better than whole bags in the environment.

Having said that, I think that the less bags used in retail the better. The comment in an above post talking about packing supermarket goods into a backpack or other bag that you bring in with you is on the money for me.

Water is an important consideration. I understand that Bags made from cornstarch require 4.5 times the weight of the bag in water. In South East Australia our dam levels are at historical lows to the point where we are now installing a desalination plant ( a whole other topic for discsussion) But obviously these cornstarch bags are renewable and 100% biodegradable which is a good thing. However, there is also the perspective on using corn for bags when the corn could be used to feed people.

Supermarket bags can be made from part or completely recycled plastic. Counter to one of the posts above, bags made from recycled material are normally about 20% cheaper than bags made from virgin material. Supermarket bags can also be recycled after use and again turned into bags. Be that as it may, the ideal shift is to not require them at all.

One of the big costs in extruding plastic for bags is electricity, so the source of electricity is important. Personally I think that way more Government and private money should be going into generating power from geothermal sources . We have feasible sites for this in Australia. Geothermal energy is exceptionally low on CO2 emissions.

Instead of supporting single use throwaway bags, paper, plastic or whatever, forget the environmentally disastrous throwaway society and use natural fibre reusable bags!

Simply put, Neither paper nor plastic are good. The best bag for groceries are the reusable bags that most stores now sell. I have bought a few for myself. It's just another little thing that will help the enviroment a little. Remember EVERY little bit makes a DIFFERENCE !!