Paper or Plastic? (to buy, live, groceries)

[Snikt]

Guess the paper or plastic question in Hawaii just became easy

U.S. News - Hawaii first state to ban plastic bags at checkout

[winkosmosis]

Plastic is better for the environment because it doesn't require planting and growing trees (or even worse harvesting old growth), but locally paper is better because plastic wreaks havoc on marine animals.

[HiloDiver]

No more free dog poop pick up bags for me, I see, now I'll have to buy them.

This is good news, perhaps the Great Pacific Garbage Patch's growth will slow.

As Wink notes, the effect on wildlife is horrid.

[Snikt]

Yeah but those re-usable ones also have issues

In a first, Oregon scientific sleuths trace norovirus outbreak to reusable grocery bag | OregonLive.com

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by Snikt

Yeah but those re-usable ones also have issues

In a first, Oregon scientific sleuths trace norovirus outbreak to reusable grocery bag | OregonLive.com

I was just thinking about that....about Oregon.

Years ago, I lived there for a year, and even way back (1994), I remember places that charged you for each bag, and so, many people re-used bags - just keeping them in the trunk all the time.

That's odd about a norovirius outbreak because of it....but it did make me think about Hawaii really being an innovator in being against plastic, anyways. I don't think Oregon ever banned it though, but they certainly discouraged it.

[HiloDiver]

That's positively gross!!!

I'm guilty of always forgetting to have my reusable bags with me, so when I go to Cost-U-Less, I end up just throwing everything in the trunk loose, it actually is not that big of a hassle, I suppose if it was I'd remember the darned bags.

[winkosmosis]

Originally Posted by Snikt

Yeah but those re-usable ones also have issues

In a first, Oregon scientific sleuths trace norovirus outbreak to reusable grocery bag | OregonLive.com

I KNEW those reusable bags were a disease vector

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by winkosmosis

Plastic is better for the environment because it doesn't require planting and growing trees (or even worse harvesting old growth), but locally paper is better because plastic wreaks havoc on marine animals.

Paper is better for the environment because it is is 1) made from a renewable resource 2) is highly recyclable and is, in fact, widely recycled, and 3) is biodegradable when its life-cycle has ended.

Plastic bags are 1) made from non-renewable fossil fuels, 2) in practice are not widely recycled, and 3) are not normally biodegradable.

The feedstock for making paper today is practically an agricultural product, using farm-grown fast-growth trees bred especially for the purpose, and harvested by giant machines. Once virgin fiber has entered the paper stream it can be recycled as many as 8 times. We recycle so much of it that it's an export product for the US.

The best, of course is reusable bags, but people will never remember to bring reusable bags every time, so some throwaway bags will always be needed. Though more expensive than plastic bags, paper bags are far better for the environment.

[Elisabettazz]

Thanks for sharing.http://www.amzcard.info/g.gif

[hotzcatz]

ChicoBag | Category | Original These chicobags clip onto your purse or belt so you don't forget and leave them in the car. They have a small bag attached to their side which the whole thing is scrunched into when they aren't in use. The original version is only about $6 so if you use them more than 120 times, they've paid for themselves in the five cents you save by bringing your own bag. Although, once plastic bags are banned, I don't know if they will still give the five cent discount for bringing your own. They are also WASHABLE ( - hello!) Toss them into the laundry and no worries about novovirus. If someone is getting novovirus from the trunk of their car, it may not be a safe place to carry groceries.