As we are standing in line at the supermarket to checkout our groceries, we are confronted with the stressful question, “plastic or paper?” by the cashier, leaving us confounded for a moment. Convenience pulls you towards plastic, but a nagging eco-friendly conscience might pull you towards paper bags.
Plastic bags are cheaper for grocery stores so they try to use them more frequently, but at the same time they get pressurized by environmental organizations to stop using them. However, there are also groups that claim that plastic is just as environmentally friendly as paper or may even be greener than paper, and hence replacing them may have harmful repercussions on the planet. So, we as consumers are left with the decision to choose plastic bags or paper bags.
Here are some disadvantages of using plastic over paper. Plastic bags are littered everywhere today and can be an environmental eyesore. They are also a danger to wildlife because birds and animals can mistakenly consume it as food, resulting in death of the animals. This is especially a problem when you live close to the water and plastic bags can reach the water easily, and endanger marine life and birds. Plastic also takes longer to degrade and can sit in landfills up to 1000 years polluting the environment. They are also difficult to recycle and can mess up the recycling plants’ machines.
These reasons make the decision to use paper bags much easier for us. Paper bags come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and types today, like laminated bags, un-laminated bags, folded handle kraft bags, twisted handle kraft bags, recycled paper bags and many others. The bags can be reused and recycled for various purposes. They can be used for packaging and carrying items like groceries, clothes, accessories, shoes, etc; for cooking popcorn in a microwave; wrapping odd-sized items for shipping; wrapping books for kids; craft items for craft projects; keeping trash from getting smelly with meat and chicken scraps; and many more.
Look for companies that provide quality Paper Bags at competitive and reasonable prices and fast delivery. Once you use them you will be going back to them for all your future projects!