They used to ask me this in the grocery store.
So which truly IS better for the environment?
Paper bags or plastic ones?
And while I’m thinking of it, which is better: cloth diapers or throw aways?
I sure like throwaway diapers better than cloth ones. We grew up with cloth ones, and cleaning them is a NASTY job! I would think that paper bags are better than plastic because they degrade much, much more quickly.
Recently discussed here:
Paper or Plastic? (23 replies)
The best solution? Buy reusable canvas bags. You can fit a lot more into one canvas bag than you can in a paper or plastic bag, so an additional benefit is that you have less trips from the car to the kitchen. Canvas bags can be purchased in many grocery stores for US$2 to US$5.
As far as cloth diapers vs. disposable diapers:
There is a lot of dispute on that matter, with disposable diaper advocates saying that the amount of chemicals needed to wash cloth diapers offsets the amount of waste created by disposable diapers. Many parents that have tried cloth diapers claim they are not as absorbent as the disposable diapers. In any event, most cloth diaper cleaning services in the Los Angeles area have disappeared.
I’m not an ecological scientist, but my guess is that cloth diapers would still be better because the chemicals will dissipate long, long before the disposable diapers biodegrade, and because plastic is non-renewable.
With the world’s race to use up non-renewable oil as a fuel source (oil of course also is the source of plastic), without really doing more than paying lip-service to alternate fuel technologies, I am tired of having to bear the burden of making the politically right choice. Whether I choose paper or plastic, we are still going to run out of petroleum just as quickly, so I just make the choice that fits me best. I used to like paper bags, because I could put my old newspapers in them so I could put them out for recycling. I don’t read the newspaper anymore, so now plastic is better because they are easier to carry and take up less space when I throw them in my garbage can.