Plastic or paper.

Several cities in the state of California have banned plastic bags already. I bring my own bags and the store gives me points that ends up lowering my grocery bill. If I'm going to Target, then my bill is lowered 5 cents for each bag I bring with me. I know 5 cents doesn't sound like much; however, if you shop for groceries every week or other items it can quickly add up. Most of the time my groceries and other items take 5 bags, so .25 a week means in 4 weeks a $1. I just put the money in a jar and during the holidays its money I can spend on a gift for my daughter.

I would prefer still using plastic rather than paper. Plastic can be re-used. If the problem is caused by improper waste disposal. Why can't the government take charge and teach those people in rural areas about proper waste disposal. Using paper is more expensive and more damaging to the environment.

Personally speaking, I would prefer to use plastic. As we all know, plastic is made from oil and paper is made from tree. So the question is which industry brings more serious pollution to the environment, oil industry or paper industry? In my view, the answer is paper industry. We could see that oil industry in the world is dominated by several big oil companies. They usually invest a lot of money in controlling the pollution. Meanwhile, the competition in paper industry is fiercer, for many small companies are participating in this field. The consequence is that less money is used to control the pollution. Of course, if it is possible, I will use plastic and paper as little as possible.

There are things that paper can't be used properly when plastic can do than the paper. Example in grocery bags wherein your items are so heavy at least in plastic bags it can be tolerable depending on how stable it is. Unlike in paper even if you are using paper bags then that is totally useless already that you can to carry all those heavy things.

In areas like Pasig and Antipolo, the use of paper bags in malls, supermarkets, and even fast food chains is implemented. Personally, I like the idea of using paper instead of plastic. One reason is that paper decomposes quicker than plastic. However, I understand that using paper and plastic both have advantages and disadvantages. Paper directly comes from trees that are cut down in the forests leaving bald mountains. Actually, the Philippine forests cannot meet the demand for paper any longer as it is. We are already importing paper from China! Plastic manufacturers say plastic can be recycled over and over again, IF it gets recycled and not left clogging our waterways. Also, paper has less chances of being reused especially when it is already wet and dirty while plastic can be cleaned and reused right in our own kitchen. And just like what others are saying, some items can be paper-packed while others cannot. In groceries, for example, meat and other moist products are normally wrapped in plastic and then bagged in paper. This is ironic and ridiculous! Now we are using both plastic AND paper at the same time! What we need is better education and understanding of proper waste management that will start with zero waste at home. If anything can be reused, reuse it. In the end, it may be practical to go back to using "bayong" after all!

Comparing both, plastic are more damaging to our environment because they can't be burnt. There's no way to dispose them but reuse. Where paper is concerned, it's different because they can be recycled and used in other forms. Who says trees must be chopped to produce more papers? UNlike plastics, burning of paper doesn't pollute the air as much. It's natural for plastic manufacturer to draw comparison because if plastics are banned, their business would fold, it's that simple.

I think I would use reusable canvas bags. I know when I was living in China I would bring one with me whenever I went shopping and then I wouldn't have to pay for a bag to carry my stuff home in. It makes more sense and it does save the environment.

Here in the USA we have a third option which is reuseable bags. More people are buying these bags and taking them to stores with them so that they can use them instead of paper or plastic. They hold a lot more and last a lot longer. In this way we save the environment. Four bags here in the USA can hold about $200.00 worth of items from my store anyway. From Walmart it'd probably be more like $350.00. We are talking groceries here, and basic hygenic items. Another way to save is to either not ask for bags at all, or don't use bags for things with handles, or things such as cakes. There are stores here (the warehouse stores and one small grocery store) that does not have bags, unless you bring your own. The small grocery store has their own reuseable bags you can purchase. Some stores offer a few cents off for using reuseable bags, my store is not one of them.

plastic is really hard to degrade so i might as well go with plastic. i started to go natural and that starts in every home. i switch my son from disposable diaper to cloth diaper to help lessen the pollutants. disposable diapers are difficult to degrade and it will stay in our ground for many many years. so when i heard about this plastic ban i feel happy because now people realize how much pollution we already cause to our world. a simple help and discipline from everyone will come to big success later on and i am looking froward to plastic free world.

Well the thing is we need both of them. It's unavoidable. If you stop using plastic then paper consumption will rise and if you stop using paper then plastic consumption will rise too. I think the best way to save the environment is through recycling and reusing. For instance after shopping the mall gives you a paper bag or plastic bag, instead of throwing them in the trash when you arrived home you could keep it in your drawer. Then when you need something to put your things into you could use them again. I do this. I keep my paper bags so that when I need to bring extra clothes in school I have a container. As for the plastic bags I use them to pack the clothes i sell instead of buying new plastic. Well you could even go as far as bringing your plastic bags and reusing it when purchasing in the mall. Plus there are those people who buys used plastics and papers. You could sell it.

Hi there at prudente6, This is a great topic for the fact that it tackles a problem regarding our environment and how our every action contributes to it's possible resurrection or further destruction. In my opinion both have great potential for good and Bad the good about paper is that if it is disposed improperly then it will not cause more harm compared to plastic since paper can dissolve in water lessening the hassle of floods in the cities downside is we will consume more trees increasing global warming, lessening our oxygen supply and more floods and landslides. Plastic contributes to flooding of canals and sewage's and is non-biodegradable. Is a pollutant in itself. But come to think about it i would rather live in a dump rather than not be able to breathe and most likely feel the burning air every single day. The only way to deal with this is to change our views of things, it is easier to prevent problems than to get solutions that will cause more problem than the original problem. Then just solve the problem at hand, create strict laws about proper disposal of plastic materials, imprisonment is one that I suggest. And also proper management of this materials and segregation plus recycling relieves the need for paper bags until the day comes that we can produce a biodegradable item that can replace plastic.

I will go for paper. Papers are recycable and less threatening to our environment. We don't have to cut trees every time we need papers, of course it is still possible but there is recycling. Old used papers are still of value to us. But still I can't say we can live with papers alone, we need plastics too but we should lessen using it. We as citizens should be responsible in disposing both to avoid further complications, let's just do our part.

You do have a point that each side still has a negative effect on our environment. For me, i will go to the paper. Yes we use tress for using papers but we also have a choice to plant another one or two for each tree we cut. In this way, we have not only replace the tree we cut but also help the environment green and clean. It also help in rehabilitating our forest for the animals living there. If we use plastic, it would take years to dispose them and really bad for our health and the environment if we burn them. I do recognize the need of plastic in our society today because there are things better places in plastics than paper. If possible we can just minimize the usage of plastic by making a list of products that can be allowed to be put in plastic. It will not be a total banning of its usage but only a restriction. In this way we will be able to control its production.

I believe we should use the fabric bags. I believe that they should only be $.50 or free though. Whatever the stores are paying for the plastic and paper should be spent on reusable, because most people will start to bring there own, but it wold be nice for the stores to have them for those who forget.

I would go for paper, simply because of it's property to be recycled again and again. Whereas plastic could really cause such environmental hazards as to its disposal and the manufacturing process which can also contribute to ill effects as illnesses i.e. respiratory problems.

hi, yes,thats true if we lessen using of plastic we probably help our environment from flood,unlike when we use paper its faster to dissolve rather than plastic,thats why some areas of the north Luzon in my country implemented paper as bag.

Paper.