Paper or Plastic

[LaRoza]

-EDIT In the context of shopping, specifically for Groceries.

What do you use?

I see environmental reason for using either, but what is your choice?

No matter what I use, I reuse.

I usually use paper.

[jgrabham]

Are we talking Bags? Because the only place in Britain I can thing of that gives you paper bags, is ManDonalds!

[cunawarit]

In the UK Primark switched to paper bags recently.

[toecutter]

I recycle my plastic bags, so I don't mind using them when I forget to take in my reusable bags. But 80-90% of the time I'll use reusables. If it's just a couple of items I refuse a bag. I don't get why a bottled drink and a paper would require a shopping bag.

The UK doesn't use paper bags so that's a plus. Also, some small grocery chains charge a few pennies for their normal shopping bages, which basically makes shoppers there bring in their reusable bags. They don't care if these are bags from other stores either.

[cmat]

We use plastic here. They are cheaper and reusable. Some stores you just bring in the bags from previous visits and rebag your things. The original bags cost 5 cents, so it kind of forces you to reuse them. Then you just recycle them I guess when the wear out. If you have access to a plastic bailer, bonus you can sell the plastic back to vendors. Paper bags are biodegradable but you have to cut down more trees to make them if more and more people will start using them. But you can fold paper bags so they are easier to keep stuff from falling out.

[LaRoza]

We use plastic here. They are cheaper and reusable.

...but worse for the environment.

[ssam]

the are far bigger things to worry about than plastic bags if you want to save the world

[Dragonbite]

I use plastic because the bag is more useful :

for collecting items to take to the recycle center
hanging these recycling bags off the pantry door knob
can carry my lunch (when I forget my lunchbag at work)
able to line the bathroom garbage can
at home or away for throwing away wet / stinky things (like dirty diapers)
easily able to carry them to put trash into while walking the trails
turning inside out, grabbing whatever dead rodent the cats give us as a gift, pull the bag around the carcass and tie... or "no-touch dead rodent removal"

[LaRoza]

the are far bigger things to worry about than plastic bags if you want to save the world

Actually, little things matter, as one poster pointed out to me on another thread.

[forrestcupp]

I haven't seen anywhere around here that gives you a choice for years. Not since plastic bags first came out in stores.

[aysiu]

My wife and I use plastic or paper depending on what we need. If we need more plastic bags for trash, we get plastic. If we need more paper bags for recycling, we get paper. We don't buy garbage bags or have a green/blue recycling bin. We use grocery bags for holding our trash or recycling until we dump it.

[jaffamuffin]

For long enough I thought the paper/plastic question reffered to the choice of using a credit card (plastic) or cash (paper) to pay for the groceries. Of course I now know it's about bags, but in the UK the only place you here this is on the TV when you are watching a US film.

[azkehmm]

...but worse for the environment.

Would you like to explain that. How are they any worse than paper bags? As far as i know, palstic used for bags is nothing but long carbon chains...

[forrestcupp]

Would you like to explain that. How are they any worse than paper bags? As far as i know, palstic used for bags is nothing but long carbon chains...

Paper is biodegradable.

[anaconda]

making one paper bag wastes more oil than making one plastic bag, so paper bags are worse for the environment!

[bluenova]

Neither. I take boxes to the supermarket and get money back for using them.

[Rui Pais]

making one paper bag wastes more oil than making one plastic bag, so paper bags are worse for the environment!

how paper bags wastes oil? or more oil then plastic bags?

just as a curiosity: Our oceans are turning into plastic...are we? (http://www.bestlifeonline.com/cms/publish/health-fitness/Our_oceans_are_turning_into_plastic_are_we_2.shtml )

[starcraft.man]

My mom buys groceries and uses plastic, I personally like reusable sacks (heavy cloth) when I do a lot of buying.

[ssam]

Actually, little things matter, as one poster pointed out to me on another thread.

true, but you'd do better to do big things.

if you work out what things in you life use energy and make pollution, then i bet plastic bags is a fraction of a percent. transport is probably a few 10s of percent. doing 1% less travelling will probably do more to save the world than swapping plastic bags for paper.

[aysiu]

The issue is quite complicated, as the following links explain thoroughly:
Paper or Plastic Bags? (http://www.healthgoods.com/Education/Environment_Information/Solid_Waste/paper_or_plastic.htm)
Q&A: Retail Carry Bags - Paper or Plastic? (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/01/qa_retail_carry.php)
Paper or plastic? What's the environmentally correct choice? (http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/cheap/20041215a1.asp)

[smoker]

if manufacturers could use less packaging on their products that would be a big plus, whether wrapped in plastic or paper, and i know it can take me long enough to open up one of those vacuum sealed packs of bacon, it must be 10x more difficult for older citizens or people with disabilities!

[forrestcupp]

if manufacturers could use less packaging on their products that would be a big plus, whether wrapped in plastic or paper, and i know it can take me long enough to open up one of those vacuum sealed packs of bacon, it must be 10x more difficult for older citizens or people with disabilities!

What about toys? Even the cheap $5 kids toys are packaged ridiculously. Now you have to have a screw driver just to get a lot of toys out of their packaging.