Paper or Plastic?

Now, I’m in no way an environmentalist, but I would say that I’m environmentally friendly. I’m not one to preach about environmental issues either. However, I do what I can to help the environment. I’ll be honest though and say that most of my actions are for personal savings which happen to benefit our planet as an added bonus. For example: driving less to save on fuel costs; using cold water to wash clothes to save on energy costs; etc. And, I recycle when I can.

Another fellow blogging friend of mine recently posted on this topic and it reminded me that I had a similar post in progress in my draft folder.

If you’ve even been to a grocery store, you’re familiar with the question: paper or plastic? Well, if you live in San Francisco or any other major city jumping on the plastic bag ban bandwagon, you won’t hear it anymore. I read an article in People Magazine a few months back and it really got me thinking, especially living in Paris where they charge for plastic bags (5 to 8 cents per bag)! In an effort to save money, we started re-using our bags or using a durable nylon tote to carry our groceries. This worked for us because we went to the market almost every day to buy just what we needed for that day. I’m not sure how practical this is when in the States most people tend to go to the grocery store just a few times a month and buy in bulk, but hopefully this information will help you look at your plastic bag usage in a different light.

Highlights from the article:
* Each year Americans consume between 30 and 100 billion plastic bags—enough to encircle the planet at least 31 times!
* China, which uses more than 3 billion plastic bags a day, has also recently outlawed them.
* Plastic bags are manufactured using over 12 million barrels of oil, and rarely make it to the recycling bin.
* Plastic bags can take a thousand years to decompose, clogging landfills and littering the oceans (now, I use disposable diapers, so I'm not perfect here either).
* Scientists routinely report seeing plastic bags littering remote Antarctica, carried there by ocean currents.
* Every year, thousands of sea turtles and other animals are killed by plastic bags. Even whales have died after ingesting plastic bags that resemble jellyfish.

What you can do:
* Purchase nylon or canvas re-usable bags.
* Choose paper instead of plastic (although I have also read some information that contradicts the notion that paper is better).
* Avoid a bag all together if you’re purchasing just a few items.
* Re-use your plastic bags. Either use them again when shopping or find some other way to re-use them.
* Watch for unnecessary double bagging or bagging with just two items per bag (yes, some stores do this!)
* Take your plastic bags to the recycle bins available at most grocery stores. Find out where you can recycle here.

Did you know that in addition to plastic grocery bags, you can also recycle the following plastic:

* Retail bags (hard plastic and string handles removed)
* Paper towel and toilet paper plastic wrap
* Plastic newspaper bags
* Plastic dry cleaning bags
* All clean, clear bags labeled with a #2 or #4