The debate on paper versus plastic bags to carry your items from the store to home has gone on for decades.  Reusable cloth bags have been touted as an environmentally friendly alternative.

Paper bags are extolled as coming from renewable resources, and being biodegradable.  However, they consume more energy in the production process than plastic bags.

Plastic bags consume less energy in production, but are not biodegradable.  Moreover, much has been made recently about plastic pollution, especially in our oceans.  Incredibly, the United States of America is using over 100 billion bags per years, with approximately 1% of these bags being recycled.  California and New York have banned single use plastic bags.

Reusable cloth totes require more energy to produce because they are typically heavier and stronger.  To justify their use, they need to be used around 7,100 times to equal a plastic bag’s energy usage.  Unfortunately, most reusable totes never hit this target.  Additionally, reusable bags tend to harbor germs.  During the pandemic, many stores banned their use to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

So, there doesn’t appear to be a clear winner among today’s choices of paper, plastic and Continue reading →