Paper bags or plastic? Which is better?

recycled bags are used in many parts of the world. Plastic bags have been banned and paper bags are being promoted. i would prefer paper bags.

I think paper bags are probably much better than plastic ones. I think the paper would break down easier, as in, it's more biodegradeable and plastic takes thousands of years to break down. Also with paper, it's much easier to recycle too. :)

Lots of stores in my area now offer re-useable shopping bags. Instead of going for paper or plastic, you use this bag and you can bring it back and use it again. Or you can use it for something else. They're pretty durable and it's awhile before they've broken down so much you can't use them anymore. But between paper and plastic... I definitely think paper is better. You might have to cut down trees to make paper, but think about where trees come from and where plastic comes from. Trees are a renewable resource. All you need to do to make a new tree is to plant one! Ta-da! Absurdly simple when you think about it in comparison to how you replace what's needed to make plastic. Hmm... some polymers that don't decompose at all, some base elements like carbon and hydrogen... WAIT!! What's this major ingredient in nearly every plastic ever made? OIL!!! We all know just how wonderfully UN-renewable oil in. And what happens when something goes wrong while we dig for it. I think that Oil is one of the worst offenders when it comes to the environment and we really shouldn't be so dependent on it.

There is this technology with the help of which we can make biodegradable plastic that can decompose in aerobic and anaerobic environments. I don't think we have to stick to paper bags only. Paper bags are made from paper and paper is obtained from trees. You use more paper means you will need to cut more trees, which again is not a good thing for the echo system. So we have to maintain the balance. We should decomposable plastic bags along with paper bags.

This is definitely a hard choice, but I think It is better to use plastic bag as many times as possible, because trees need more time for growing up. We must keep our nature better, but everyone has to be part of this, which is the most complicated thing.

The good thing about paper bag is that it decomposes quite fast. Doing so will provide not much harm for our environment. Compared to plastic bags which takes years to decompose which is bad for our environment. This destroys the natural balance of things. Trees can actually be grown much faster than you think. Trees that grow for years are usually not used for paper bags anyway since most of them are really strong and are used for construction purposes generally. Plastic bags are very harmful for us and the environment even if they can be used again.

It seems that paper bags are better than plastic bags, however, paper bags are made from trees. And I can't say it is the best. So when I go out, I will bring my own cloth bag. So I don't have to use the paper or plastic bags from the sellers. This will be better for the environment. I love China

I think they are both equally as good for the environment. Plastic bags are a lot more durable than paper bags so they can be reused several times. On the other hand paper is easier to recycle and be made into new paper bags, so no new trees a needing to be cut down. On a non-environmental front, I prefer paper bags as they look more "high-end" because more expensive shops have been doing the paper bag thing for a while now and the cheaper stores have only just caught on. However, when the whether is poor, I will ask for a paper bag because paper ones just get soggy and rip under the weight of my purchases.

I have the same questions as you. There are many ways to promote environmentalism. For me, simply saving paper, not throwing it unless it's really unusable, or recycling them using homemade agents can create a big help if everybody does it! Prob is, only a few people do it. Paper bags are quite difficult especially when you are shopping. Some people use canvas bags when they go to the market to avoid depending on plastics. The gov't can definitely enforce an ordinance for this. Which means that the plastic industry might also go down. See? We are all connected! I have seen biodegradable plastic bags! Maybe that would be great as well?

I prefer that plastic bags will be used.I know of shoes made from malleable plastic,and they are cute.plastic bags can be designed and made as cute shopping bags or women's bags.plus,they are more durable than paper bags.I believe there are plastic made of biodegradable materials,which doesn't really harm the environment.

I guess it would be a tough choice for me. But I just think Plastic bags would be better because it would take a long time to grow the trees needed to make so many paper bags. There are some stores that have indoor recycling boxes to put the extra plastic bags we don't want. So I collect up my plastic bags and put them in the box to recycle the plastic bags. But now they are really promoting the re-usable bags made from fabric.

for me paper bags is better. We have to face the truth that all of us is suffering from heat nowadays. and that is the effect of using plastics everyday and every households that just throw their plastic waste everywhere. we have to limit using plastic because it takes thousand years to decompose such plastic that we found everywhere, while paper it takes just minutes. and more it is safe to use unlike plastic we can take cancer disease using it.

the answer to the PAPER or PLASTIC?... i think both... they are roughly equal in pros and cons. while being convenient addictions, they both require and gobble up natural resources causing a significant amount of pollution as well as loss of our natural greenery resources. it surely takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag than it takes to manufacture a plastic bag. Mostly paper bags are manufactured from the pulp of trees, that way the impact of a paper bag on our forest is enormous leading to cutting down huge number of trees for our bags requirement alone. The paper bags have a higher rate of recycling than that of plastic bags, mostly each new grocery paper bag we use is made out of virgin pulp from our chopped down forests to be of better strength and quality. we definatly need researchers to expand their knowledge and ideas to generate an alternative to plastic and paper which wont consume our natural resources and can degrade easier than the way a plastic or a paper bag does...

I would have to go with paper since its better for the environment, but killing the trees is not the best thing to do. Then i would say plastic just because its more handy. This is really a hard topic but I would go with the more environmentally friendly one. Just a random not going to happen statement, how about a really smart kid invents a machine to shrink the stuff so we can put in our pockets. Then we wont have to use paper or plastic. Lol. Not gonna happen I know but it was just a thought.

I think paper bags are far better because they are better for the environment. The thing is plastic bags harm animals if they come across them. Paper can be recycled as well so it's far better.

If I have to choose between paper and plastic, I would definitely choose paper. Because paper is biodegradable. I think the reason why we promote the paperless concept is for the purpose of not having to chop off more trees than necessary. However, opting to use plastic will be a lot more harmful to our environment. Nowadays, supermarkets are promoting reusable cloth bags that are both durable and not that harmful to the society. That way, we don't really have to use plastic nor paper bags to bring our groceries home. I have several bags like that with me and I leave it in the trunk of the car to use when I go and buy groceries

of course the paper bags are better.. like you said it is envoronmental friendly. but if we use plastic bags we should try to reuse them.. it may be using again and agian my us for shopping or giving it to a place where plastic recycling is taking place.. or can be both...

Paper bags are definitely better for the environment, and they are definitely better to have tossed into our landfills, because the break down and decompose. Plastic bags may get ripped up and tattered and worn, but bits of that plastic will be around forever. This is why I like plastic bags, if they aren't recycled (as they should be),they will completely break down and decompose once their useful life is over...

Hi, cathianne2010. Either way, I usually will use plastic bags. I don't like wasting paper bags.

well i would use a plastic bag because paper bags tend to break down easily. But will reuse it. well i have thought that the paper they use also came from trees. But i think they are recycled. and yes i think paper bag is more expensive to make than a plastic one.