Mar 31, 2007 10:51 am US/Central
Good Question: Paper Or Plastic?
by Ben Tracy
(WCCO)
Our choices about what is best for our planet can seem daunting and often beyond our control. However, there is a simple one we are faced with almost every day: paper or plastic?
That's what we're asked at the grocery store and a lot of other places. As customers, we each have our preference.
"I get paper," said one woman at Byerly's in St. Louis Park, Minn.
"I usually go with plastic," said another.
When it comes to which is better for the planet, most of us think we have that answer bagged. Almost everyone WCCO-TV asked said paper is better.
"It's actually not that simple of a question to answer," said Michael Noble, executive director of Fresh Energy. "What you're asking is: how much energy is in a paper bag? How much energy is consumed by a plastic bag?"
It takes wood, oil and coal to make paper bags, while plastic bags use natural gas, oil and coal. Plastic is an oil derivative and since oil is a finite resource it seems like a good idea to avoid plastic.
"But the paper bag takes a lot more energy to produce," said Noble.
In fact, making two plastic bags uses 13 percent less total energy than one paper bag and making two plastic bags produces 72 percent fewer pollutants than one paper bag.
"Also, because the paper bag is heavier it takes more energy to transport it," said Noble. "Also because it's bulkier, it would also take up more room in the landfill."
Both bags are recyclable, but consumers tend to toss out the plastic much more often than the paper. Therefore, paper is not a bad choice if you recycle it.
"The best solution of all is to bring that canvas tote with you to the store that you put all your groceries in and use it over and over again," said Noble.
The real question is what we do with the paper or plastic bag after we get home. It helps if we use them to hold our recycling or in our trash can. The more we reuse a bag, the more it lowers the environmental impact of our original decision. Either way, we should always try to recycle the bag.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
