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Paper Vs. Plastic

More and more cities across the US such as Seattle are attempting to reduce waste by banning the use of plastic bags. Sounds like a good idea, but do they really have all the facts?

Do they know it takes almost four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a polyethylene bag? Paper bags also use more fossil fuel and 20 times more fresh water during the manufacturing process.

What about recycling? Surely paper bags are more efficiently recycled, right? Not so much. It takes more than 90% more energy to recycle a pound of paper than it does to recycle a pound of plastic. So much for saving the planet.

More recently people trying to be environmentally responsible have switched to using reusable bags. While they do reduce the amount of waste, have you ever thought about what lurks inside those bags after food remnants and meat juices heat up day after day in the trunk of your car? In order to keep the bags free of most bacteria, you’d have to wash them after every use, adding to the amount of water, soap and electricity wasted.

So what’s the answer? It’s still your choice (if you live outside of Seattle), but plastic bags take less energy to manufacture and recycle, and as a bonus I don’t have to worry about what’s growing in the bottom of the bag I just put my fresh produce into!

Source:  http://www.reuseit.com/learn-more/myth-busting/why-paper-is-no-better-than-plastic