Paper, Plastic, Reusable

Not all bags are created equal.

Every time we visit a store we are making an impact on the environment in a myriad of ways. Currently the most talked about way is through how we choose to take our purchases home. In my last post we talked about how inexpensive plastic is to manufacture, so it makes sense that plastic bags became so popular and widespread. Now they are facing much controversy, New York just became the second state after California to pass a statewide ban, all of Hawaii’s counties have banned plastic bags resulting in a statewide ban, hundreds of US cities have implemented bans as well.

What is surprising is that when considering the manufacturing process plastic bags actually have the smallest ecological footprint. Paper bags use 4 times as much water to manufacture, cotton is also a crop that requires a lot of water as well as land, and the use of fertilizers.

The material you choose for your bag matters, you’ll need to decide what impact you want to make and do some research before buying. Eco friendly cotton and hemp will have a smaller ecological footprint, so does non-woven polypropylene, a more durable plastic that can be reused many times.

So if plastic has less of an ecological footprint to manufacture why ban them? Why even make the change?

Their environmental impact doesn’t stop with manufacturing. I have had the same two nonwoven PP reusable bags for years. I can fit my entire cart into those two bags. How many plastic bags would I have used instead? Each week? Each year?

On average an American family uses 1500 plastic bags per year. Every second 160,000 plastic bags are used. Every SECOND. One million per minute, one trillion per year.

They are used for an average of 12 minutes before being discarded. Less than 3% of plastic bags are recycled. Some may be reused as trash can liners or for pet waste disposal, but their final destination is the landfill.

It can take more than 500 years for a plastic bag to degrade, breaking down into smaller microplastics that continue to pollute the environment.

Plastics are having a widespread impact on the environment, Sea turtles and marine animals can mistake floating plastic for food. Ingesting plastic can lead to the animal feeling full resulting in starvation.

Whales play a critical role in marine ecosystems and story after story has been emerging of whales dying with POUNDS of plastic bags in their stomachs. Recently a young Cuvier’s Beaked Whale that washed ashore in the Philippines was found to have 88 pounds of plastic bags in its stomach.

How do those types of stories not drive you to make a change? I don’t know if any of the plastic bags I used in the past have made their way into the stomach of an animal, but at least now I’ll know that I’m not part of the problem – instead I’ll be a part of the solution.

Of course when you are talking about the environment, one solution may open up a myriad of other problems. It’s hard to make a choice on what is the best, and of course you may find out later that it wasn’t. The most important thing is that you are trying, choose what works for you and support others in this journey.

What are your preferred methods for transporting your purchases? I’d love to hear from you!