Look, I know it’s not their fault, and maybe I am reading more into their body language than what is really there but… Still, it is hard to totally dismiss the deep sighs, the rolling of the eyes, the wide-eyed looks, and the downright ignoring of my request. The cashiers at the grocery store seemingly judge my judgment when I tell them. “Paper, please,” and then “Add everything in paper bags. Thank you.” That’s a perfunctory thank you ‘cause of the look, of course, and the acknowledgment on my part that it takes more work to unfold the paper bag and place it on the checkout for the checker.
Most of the time, they simply ignore the part about the meat and drop it in a plastic bag, then put it in a paper bag. Of course, the meat is already in a plastic bag unless I go to a butcher shop and get it wrapped in butcher paper.
What? Most butcher paper today is lined with plastic? I would throw my hands up, but that makes typing extremely challenging plus, I’m totally jaded at this point, remember. That’s right, butcher paper is not compostable or recyclable. But I digress.
Where were we? Ah, at the checkout of our local grocery store, being judged for caring about the world’s future. Sometimes I do get a paper bag full of groceries. Yes, most of those groceries are wrapped in one-use plastic. You know I definitely have to find a different store to shop at.
It should be clear, without me saying, that paper bags are better for the environment than plastic bags. Frustration building. I might need to go take a walk. Of course, the first search item sponsored by a website created-
“to eliminate harmful bureaucratic controls so people can live in a freer, healthier, and more prosperous nation.”
Lists how banning plastic bags could possibly harm consumers and the environment. What a bunch of Garbage!
Americans use hundreds of billions of plastic bags a year. But what does the science say about the alternatives?
First, I will start with the bias built on the science of my previous reporting. Plastic is bad. Microplastics are a potential hazard worth fearing. Check out From Plastics to Flower Dresses for more concerning microplastics and nano-plastics.
Therefore, even if the alternatives to plastic are more resources dependent and thus more costly, they are still “Better.”
By definition, of less likely to cause a long-term environmental and health catastrophe.
Technically plastic bags are recyclable. As I argued in previous articles, recycling the products produced by the plastic industry should be the industry’s responsibility and not the community or consumers’. If you are going to make the argument that plastic bags are the most resource-efficient to produce and, therefore, most environmentally friendly. (Which you can’t without weighing the overall cost to health and the environment.) you can only do so by acknowledging that this argument fails if the plastic bags end up as waste. Nonbiodegradable mountains of waste slowly shedding trillions of microparticles into the environment.
Paper bags look like a good option.
No, not really. It takes 43 times as much energy to produce a paper bag. You would need to use it 43 times, which just isn’t reasonable. Paper bags are recyclable though the fibers shorten and can only be reused so many times. Paper bags, however, have a significant and sufficient advantage over plastic bags to make them a better alternative. They are biodegradable. To recap, they cost more. Are less convenient. They do not, however, either last forever or break down into tiny particles that will build up in the ecosystem, which will then last forever and cause long-term ecological damage.
Paper vs. Plastic, The winner is Paper! But it is still the loser.
Reusable bags. Winner!
Reusable cloth cotton bags could be made from organically grown, sustainably harvested cotton. It would take 131 uses to be as cost-effective at the production end. Well, that seems highly doable. They would undoubtedly last that long. They are also recyclable and, or biodegradable. And sorry, plastic (not). The cotton is non-toxic. Though if you are anything like me. You will forget to bring them about half the time. But not anymore. Now that I am learning so much about the world around me and the process of life, I am making changes. Yeah, I still forget sometimes, but it’s down to a once-in-a-while thing. Then I go with paper.
Mainstream media and many reporters have included the above information in their articles. It is at the end of the article where they woefully fail.
The overall cost is less when we use a reusable bag compared to a plastic bag when you consider all the costs associated with production, collection, waste processing, and environmental and health impacts. If you need more convincing, please read my previous articles. You can find a list of archived articles on the right side of the webpage.
Most of all, we need to work together to pass legislation calling for the ban on plastic bags, the reduction of one-use plastics, and for corporations to be responsible for the waste they produce.
Thank you for taking to time to join me today. If you haven’t done so, please subscribe, follow, and hit those likes. If you want to learn more about a topic, please let me know what interests you.
Take care, and remember, there is always more to the story.
T.L. Johnson 
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