FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING BETWEEN PAPER & PLASTIC

Factors to Consider When Choosing Between Paper & Plastic

The dilemma of choosing between paper bags and plastic bags haunts everybody. With more and more concern being voiced for saving the earth and the environment from human sacrilege in pursuit of convenience and comfort, more fuel is being added to the fiery debate. The tug of war between convenience and concern continues and except for specific regulations in some pockets banning the use of plastic bags, both varieties are used for commercial purposes. Given a choice, plastics are perhaps more in favor for reasons related to cost and convenience to the users. How good one is over the other is a matter of perception as both have its merits and demerits.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Between Paper & Plastic

Putting aside the benefits, it is perhaps better to analyze the risks and disadvantages that plastic and paper offer with respect to its impact on the environment, because this is one of the most concerning issues. This will make it easy to decide which packing material seems to be greener if not the greenest.

Demerits of Using Paper Bags Pollution concern: The raw material for paper

making is wood. Therefore, cutting down trees can adversely affect the ecological balance as the environment loses its natural ability of carbon dioxide removal. The production process of paper making results in emission of higher air pollution. It can be 70 percent more as compared to plastic production and is accompanied by emission of greenhouse gases. Water pollutants are also discharged in much higher quantities, almost 50 percent higher than the plastic manufacturing process.

Demerits of Using Paper Bags More water usage: As compared to plastic manufacturing,

paper manufacturing requires almost three times water that puts stress on the natural resource.

Solid waste: Generation of solid waste in manufacturing paper is more by 80 percent than plastic making.

More energy required: Four times more energy is required for paper making that results in higher fuel consumption.

Inefficient recycling: Fuel consumed in recycling paper is more than what is required for manufacturing it and as compared to plastic the consumption is higher by 91 percent.

Biodegradability: Paper is not as much easily biodegradable as it was thought to be.

Demerits of Using Plastic Bags

Wildlife suffers: Many species of wildlife and marine life including birds are often fooled by the looks of plastic bags and consume it as food, thus causing enormous harm to their internal systems, especially intestines. This can have a devastating effect on the eco-system.

Not biodegradable: The elements of plastic when left to rot, disintegrates into photodegrades instead of biodegrades and that too can take hundreds of years to happen when left in landfills.

Inconvenient to recycle: Recycling of plastic has been a major issue as it comes with lot of difficulties and is not much viable despite its lower recycling cost.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Between Paper & Plastic

More and more retailers are now offering a mix of paper bags and plastic bags, leaving the onus of deciding on consumers. Make a choice between your concern for the environment and convenience of use.

Contact Us Universal Plastic Bag Manufacturing Co. Address: 1309 S. Wanamaker Ave, Ontario, California - 91761 Telephone: (909) 218-2247 Fax: (909) 218-2255 For Inquiries/Orders: 1-800-750-BAGS

(2247) Website: https://www.universalplastic.com Email: sales@universalplastic.com