Summary: http://trailfire.com/beautiful/trailview/30477
The chant plastic or paper goes strong and the environmentalists have enough reasons to show for paper....
Did you know?
It is estimated that somewhere between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags are consumed throughout the world each year. In 1977, supermarkets began to offer plastic grocery bags as an alternative to paper bags. By 1996, four out of every five grocery bags used were plastic
Paper or plastic may mean one thing to supermarket consumers, but it takes on a whole new significance among packaging manufacturers and their customers.
But what advantages does one type of container have over the other? What can one offer that the others can't?
This site tells you neither plastic nor paper are the winners but a cloth bag!
The evading feasible option to plastic and paper is at last on the table, and cloth is easily available, plentiful and does not rot or break under weight. It's reason enough to start opting for a permanent cloth shopping bag.
n 1980, many supermarkets switched from using paper bags to plastic since the plastic (polyethylene) bags are less expensive. Because many customers complained, grocery stores now give a choice between paper and plastic. Some shoppers choose paper assuming it is an environmentally better alternative. But is this the case?
Of course, these days, "Paper or plastic?" isn't even a question. You get plastic unless you're rude enough to demand paper. But what is the correct answer?
Hard facts are few. Each industry supplies information - but what they tell you is why the other is bad. You discover that paper bags kill trees and pollute water. You find out that plastic bags use precious oil and neither biodegrade nor recycle very well.
What you can't find out is the meaningful information:
