The question of paper versus plastic bags has long weighed on the environmentally-conscious. Determining what type of bag to use-- which type causes the least damage to the environment-- is a question whose answer could potentially change the way the world works. However, until relatively recently, the question of paper versus plastic remained unresolved. Through an analysis of paper and plastic bags, however, it can be seen that there are indeed benefits to using one over the other. To consider which type of bag is better for the environment, careful consideration regarding the manufacture, transportation, longevity, reuse, and disposal of each type of bag must be performed. Neither plastic bags or paper bags are perfect for the environment, and considering them within their broader global context makes the process much easier.
RAW MATERIALS: PAPER
Paper bags are created from trees; the industry that is responsible for the creation of paper is, at its heart, the logging industry. The logging industry itself is a great polluter, responsible for a significant proportion of industry pollution around the world (The Washington Post, n.d.). Indeed, according to the Washington Post (n.d.), it takes significantly more energy to create a paper bag than a plastic bag, and that the processes used to create paper bags contribute significantly to environmental problems like acid rain and deforestation (The Washington Post, n.d.).
Although it may seem as though the paper used to create paper bags should be more environmentally friendly, the current process is such that it takes too many trees to create the paper bags necessary for the world (The Washington Post, n.d.). Trees are a renewable resource, but they are consumed at too high a frequency and rate as a result of the creation of things like paper bags (although the creation of paper bags are not solely to blame for the size of the logging industry) (The Washington Post, n.d.). Before the paper can be formed into the bag, it must be washed and treated as wood pulp; this takes significant chemical treatment, and often results in the pollution of the environment (The Washington Post, n.d.).
RAW MATERIALS: PLASTIC
Many people are unaware that plastic bags are made from petroleum products; to many people, the idea that polyvinyl chloride is a byproduct of the petroleum industry is something that never occurs to them (The Washington Post, n.d.). Plastic is a byproduct of the oil refinement process, and is created as a byproduct called polyethylene (Black, 2008). These polyethylene tablets are then sent to another factory where they are further refined into plastic bags-- the manufacturing process will be discussed later.
In terms of raw materials, plastic bags are made of a byproduct of an already-existing, necessary process; the byproduct of this process is then used to create something useful. In this way, plastic bags seem to be superior to paper: while they utilize non-renewable materials in the process, the overall energy consumed and environmental effects based on raw material consumption is much lower for plastic bags.
MANUFACTURING: PAPER
Paper bags are manufactured from tree pulp (The Washington Post, n.d.). This pulp is created once the tree is cut, and then the inner cork stripped out of the trunk (The Washington Post, n.d.). Once the pulp is obtained from the tree, it is washed and chemically treated, before it is bleached and pressed. Once it has been bleached and pressed, it can be cut into the proper shape for paper bags (The Washington Post, n.d.).
MANUFACTURING: PLASTIC
Plastic, on the other hand, is derived from the small polyethylene resin tablets that are the byproduct of the oil refinement process. These tablets are taken to a special processing plant, where they are heated and stretched in a specific way (The Washington Post, n.d.). From there, these sections are shaped to become bags (The Washington Post, n.d.).
According to Black (2008), it takes approximately four times more energy to create a paper bag than a plastic bag. Although it may seem that paper bags would be less harmful for the environment in the manufacturing stage, they are actually much worse in terms of energy consumption as well as the consumption of natural resources.
TRANSPORTATION, DISTRIBUTION, USE: PAPER
Paper bags, by their nature, take up more space in terms of distribution; they cannot be compressed to the same extent as plastic bags, and thus, it takes more space to transport the same amount of bags (Black, 2008). Paper bags are used much less frequently today than plastic bags; this demand for paper has been in steady decline since the early days of the plastic bag (Black, 2008).
TRANSPORTATION, DISTRIBUTION, USE: PLASTIC
Plastic bags take up significantly less space than their paper counterparts. However, the larger demand for plastic bags means that plastic bags still have significantly higher transportation costs overall (Black, 2008). On a per unit basis, however, it is much cheaper to transport plastic bags than paper bags, as they do take up much less space.
USEFUL LIFE, REUSE, RECYCLING: PAPER
Paper bags are technically biodegradable, but they do not lend themselves to reuse in the same way that a plastic bag does. Although a paper bag may have other things it can be used for-- book covers, for instance-- it is rare that a paper grocery bag can be reused for groceries again. This is one of the realities of using paper-- it cannot be reused in the same way that plastic bags can be (Black, 2008). When recycled, the paper from paper bags must be returned to wood pulp; before it can be used again, it must be re-treated with chemicals that are harmful to the environment (Black, 2008). According to the Washington Post (n.d.), it takes approximately 98% more energy to recycle a pound of paper than a pound of plastic.
USEFUL LIFE, REUSE, RECYCLING: PLASTIC
Although it is commonly said that it is more difficult to recycle plastic than paper, technology has come a long way since the beginning of the plastic revolution (Black, 2008). Today, it takes significantly less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it does to recycle a pound of paper (The Washington Post, n.d.). In addition, a plastic bag can be reused as a bag for significantly longer than a paper bag, on average, making it much more useful to use plastic bags than paper bags for most personal recycling uses.
DISPOSAL/END OF LIFE: PAPER
In the landfill, paper does not actually decompose much faster than plastics (Black, 2008). It is important to note that the decomposition of paper relies on a number of things-- the amount of oxygen and moisture that is present, for instance. Without the proper moisture and oxygen, it is difficult for paper to decompose; in many situations, it takes as long for paper to decompose in a landfill as it does for plastic to decompose. In addition, paper bags take up significantly more space in the landfill than plastic bags do.
DISPOSAL/END OF LIFE: PLASTIC
The Washington Post (n.d.) notes that, when paper and plastic bags go to the landfill at the end of their lives, plastic bags take up approximately 85% less space than their paper counterparts. This is significant, as one of the many problems that the world faces today is the fact that the landfills are filling up much too quickly. Because paper does not decompose very quickly in landfills, it stands to reason that using plastic bags in the place of paper bags makes sense in terms of the shrinking landfill space. If paper was treated differently, perhaps the issue would be different-- however, as it stands, the space in landfills is significantly important, and must be considered.
CONCLUSIONS The ideal solution to the issue of “paper or plastic” is, of course, “neither.” It would be best if everyone used reusable bags, but it seems unlikely that this will occur in the near future. However, over the course of its lifespan, a plastic bag uses significantly fewer resources than a paper bag, and also creates less pollution and consumes less energy. While it is ideal to avoid using paper or plastic bags, the more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly option is, strangely enough, the plastic bag.
References
Black, J. (2008). Plastic Bags, Headed for A Meltdown. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/02/05/ST2008020501480.html?sid=ST2008020501480
Goleman, D., & Norris, G. (2010). How Green Is My iPad?. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/04/04/opinion/04opchart.html?_r=0
Svoboda, S. (2014). Note on Life Cycle Analysis. Pollution Prevention In Corporate Strategy. Retrieved from http://www.umich.edu/~nppcpub/resources/compendia/CORPpdfs/CORPlca.pdf
Techalive.mtu.edu,. (2014). Life Cycle Analysis of Paper and Plastic Bags. Retrieved 2 July 2014, from http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module14/title.htm
Tepher, S. (2012). Polyvinyl Chloride: Material Profile. University of Oregon.
The Washington Post,. (n.d.). Paper or Plastic?. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/10/03/GR2007100301385.html
