Hundreds of billions of plastic bags are used by Americans each year. In order to curb the growing plastic problem, global cities have been implementing taxes or bans on plastic bags used. But the question is whether reusable or paper bags are truly better for the environment.
Shopping Bag Options
Plastic Bags
Plastic bags are quite reusable and sturdy. On top of this, several studies on different bag options have shown that the production of plastic bags has less demand on resources, assuming that these bags are used at least twice (one for coming home and another for storing trash).
There are actually some major advantages that come with plastic bags. For one, the production of plastic bags yields the lowest toll on the environment. These thin bags that are used in grocery stores typically consist of HDPE (high-density polyethylene). Though plastic bag production involves the use of resources like petroleum, it leads to lesser waste, carbon emission, and harmful byproducts compared to paper or cotton bag production.
Though plastic bags can be recycled, there are only a few people who do so. It is difficult to recycle plastic bags as they could get stuck in machinery or may end up flying away in a recycling plant. Due to this, curbside recycling is typically not offered by several cities. Rather, massive retailers tend to offer services for recycling. However, such services typically depend on whether the consumers bring back their bags to the store.
However, due to their non-biodegradable nature, plastic bags that are not recycled become litter. On top of building up on landfills, these plastic-turned-litter could also pose dangers to the environment. This is due to how all bags eventually break down into microplastics, which have become a growing subject of study regarding their effects on the environment and human health.
Read also: Breaking Down the Plastic Problem: Plant-Based Polymers Offer Hope in Microplastic Battle
Paper Bags
With regards to sustainability, paper bags boast of some advantages compared to plastic bags. For one, due to their biodegradable nature, paper bags can be used for composting.
However, the production of paper bags is heavy on resources. In fact, in comparison to plastic bag production, it takes roughly four times as much energy for paper bags to be produced. Moreover, the fertilizers and chemicals used for paper bag production lead to more harm for the environment.
Based on studies, in comparison to plastic, it may take three to 43 times of reuse for a paper bag's environmental impact to be neutralized. Moreover, among all bagging options, paper bags are the least durable ones. Hence, it is unlikely for a person to maximize a paper bag's use to even out its impact on the environment.
Nevertheless, the recyclable nature of paper can reduce its environmental effect. In the US, 68.1% of paper used ended up recovered for cycling. However, due to how the fibers of paper end up weaker and shorter whenever the recycling process happens, recycling paper comes with limitations.
Reusable Bags
The materials used in reusable bags may vary and may yield various kinds of environmental effects. A UK study on bag production found that cotton bags need to be reused 131 times for their climate change impact to be reduced to a similar extent as plastic bags. In order to have an environmental footprint that is comparable to a plastic bag, a cotton bag must be used up to thousands of times.
However, other materials are better when it comes to metrics of sustainability. For one, nonwoven PP (polypropylene) is an option that is also popular. This material consists of a more durable plastic type. Such bags need to be used roughly 11 times to break even with typical plastic's environmental impact.
There is also a tendency for reusable bags to not be used due to how consumers need to bring such bags to the store. Nevertheless, the biggest advantage of reusable bags is that using them could cut down the litter on land and sea. According to studies, plastic bag bans have led to reduced plastic litter in the waters.
Reusing and Recycling Is Key
Due to the high upfront environmental cost of paper and reusable bags and due to how the negative impacts of plastic bags are greater after they are used, it is difficult to conclude which type of bag is the most sustainable option.
Overall, the most sustainable option is to choose the bag that one already has, as every study showed that reusing a bag as much as possible could reduce environmental impact.
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