Paper or Plastic? No Thank You!

[zach]

According to National Geographic between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed each year.
Next time you go to the store to buy something that’s probably already packaged in three layers of plastic make a different choice. Plastic bags are often not biodegradable and are usually made from petroleum. Also consider the energy used to produce these bags and ship them to the store.

So should I choose paper or plastic?

The best answer is None of the above.

Either refuse the bag if you can carry the items without it or bring your own bag. Many stores now sell reusable shopping bags but you can use any bag. I recommend the heavy cloth bags like ones they’ve been selling at Trader Joes for years. They are durable, will last a long time, you can wash them and best of all you won’t have to worry about a flimsy plastic or paper bag ripping and spilling your groceries all over the place.

If all else fails choose paper over plastic. Although energy is consumed logging, milling the paper and transporting it to the store it is a natural and renewable product.

[Chris Suyeda]

Well said. Several months ago, my girlfriend and I finally decided to purchase a reusable and I couldn't be more happier.

[sheshy_peshy]

I've been using reusable bags for a couple months now and I love it! I hate those plastic bags and was really upset when the stores starting using them several years ago. Glad I now have a choice.

[greenerest]

Another cool way to save paper is by reading eBooks instead of printed books. With the recent emphasis on eBooks (Amazon's Kindle and Sony's eReader) we've all really been given a great opportunity to add another small, but environmentally beneficial change to our lives. eBooks, it would seem, use no paper, no fuel for delivery, and none of the harsh printing or paper manufacturing practices used by traditional publishing companies. EcoBrain.com is another new eBook store which I absolutely love. The cool thing is that they sell books in eBook format from top environmental publishers, about green living. URL is EcoBrain - Green Books for Green Living All the books are about 30% cheaper than their printed counterparts, so it's a nice way to save money and make a difference. That's always nice!

[renodom8]

I would like to have an Amazon Kindle but the upfront cost as well as the cost of the eBook is a little much. I share books, buy used or check out from the library.

[ecobagsuffolk]

I must recommend Jute Bags, there strong and last up wards of five years and:

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Jute industry supports an estimated 5 million people in the poorest regions on earth.

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One hectare of Jute plants consumes over 15 tonnes of CO2, several times higher than trees.

*
Jute is environmentally friendly - non pollutant.

[cheryl c mcneil]

I began using reusable bags over a year ago. Not only are they kind to our environment they hold more, are easier to carry and last for 4-5 years. When done with them for shopping they can be used to make other things. Do your research and make sure you get ones made of earth friendly materials. I always keep some in my vehicle or on my bike so that I have them when out in case I make an unexpected stop to purchase something.

[Mason]

My family bought two reusable bags from Kroger, but we only ended up needing one.
I've been using the other one instead of a bookbag for school.

[bagbanner]

Hello,


We have just recently opened a family business and we are trying to do our part to help save our planet. Help us eliminate plastic and paper bags at Bee Eazy, the most convenient reusable bag on the market!!! By using our bags you saving enough petroleum to drive a car 90 miles by eliminating a years worth of plastic bag usage. There are over 100 million cars in the US alone...

[TheGreenOffice.co.uk]

I went shopping the other week and was really pleased to see that my local Tesco supermarket had removed all of the plastic bags from the checkout, however they are now back!!! has anyone else noticed this or is it just my store?