Paper or Plastic?

I won't choose neither of them. In my opinion, the use of plastic nor paper will not solve our problems on garbage as well as on flooding. What we need is a comprehensive proper disposal of garbage. The government should have the will to implement the law on segregation of waste and the people discipline to follow the law. Cheers!

I also has that on mind. Why does our government wants to use paper bags as replacement for plastic bags. We all know that trees is the raw material of paper. So, where is the love for the environment there? One of the reason why there are floods are just because trees are now cut down without any replacement. I agree with you Eppie2010, the best way is to segregate all the Non Bio and the Biodegradable waste. Lets all be responsible on all our waste even in our little ways. Help our mother nature be clean and green.

this is a catch 22 decision because you are right, plastic bags take a long to to disintegrate but paper bag comes from trees. what we do in our city is use canvas bags for our groceries or other items that we purchase, that way, no trees are harmed nor are we using plastic.

you're so right! but we people are so used to handling our garbages like the way we take care of it now that waste segregation is hard for us to do. It will really take a strong will to do the waste segregation. We still have a long way to go regarding the management of our waste.

There are lots of factors that harm our environment not only plastic bags our government should educate our people on that. Taking considerations to all the facts that you have presented it would appear that you win some and you lose some there is no victory there, so I think you are right WASTE SEGREGATION is one option and if I may add RECYCLING and EDUCATING THE PEOPLE is also another. While the government is educating the people, they should exercise their POLICE POWER in order to implement the LAWS and ORDINANCES that covers IMPROPER WASTE DISPOSAL. In my barangay we have this waste segregation in disposing our garbages but our officials here are very lenient on this matter, it is not a continuous policy. So here it is, in my own opinion these following measures should be immediately considered: EDUCATING THE PEOPLE,RECYCLING, the government should use POLICE POWER in implementing the law and last but not the least WASTE SGREGATION, in that order.

FOR my opinion between between using plastic and paper.. its just same because when we say we have to use paper its harmful in our tress and when we say we use plastic it was not easily decay it take a how many years .. I agree in your opinion that our government have to study and plan on waste segregation.. what should we do to all waste plastic there so many inventors in our country that possible will solve the waste problem.. they need a support by our government to develop their project ..

I think it is a good move to reduce the use of plastic bags. Key thing though is to follow it with the use of recycled bag. Brown bag is sometimes needed but this could also be replaced with boxes that can be reused and recycled. Education and attitude also comes into play. The government can do it alone. You can read about our own experience: http://socyberty.com/politics/it-takes-political-will/ It seems to help reduce the flood in many of our low lying areas dramatically.

Dear friend, I agree completely with you your opinion. In Italy became mandatory in all shops and supermarkets, the use of biodegradable plastic bags. They are probably the result of recycled material and have a zero impact on the environment. I can not understand why in your Country, use paper bags to be produced that, you know the procedure and therefore are damage to the environment! Trees are living beings like us! So let them live! All of us should use some other material that is better! And I will stop here otherwise I should say too much about my theory.

If I am not mistaken, the brown paper bags they have been using all came from recycled materials. Even some tissue paper that are being used in some fast food restaurants in the metro are now from recycled materials. Re-usable shopping bags are also being implemented nowadays and we should all support these as recycling and segregating is not much of a popular and seldom used in household.

For me plastic, is just the same. When we use papers lots of tress should cut to supply the needs of papers. But if we use plastic and develop the project that regulates plastic and make it into many things like fertilizers, bricks, fuels and other it will help us a lot. Especially the fuel because we need it so much.

One of the biggest problems in Metro Manila is waste, which leads to another one big problem - the flood. Now, the mayor of Quezon wants to help resolve this problem that the history of Metro Manila have seen. But I don't think plastic bags are the only source of waste in any place. How about create an ordinance that will discipline the people to mitigate waste disposal problem; He can also consider educating his people on proper solid waste management. The wide use of paper bags is not the only solution to this huge waste problem in metro manila. We can be more innovative and think out of our shells - that would lead us to a better solution.

Yes, you are very right. Paper comes from trees and it would really and surely harm to our environment. Actually, that is also my question, how would we solved the problem of great flood in cities. For me using plastic is much harmful to environment than using paper. Plastic will take hundred of years to be composted while if we use paper the only thing we can do for the environment is plant additional trees. If someone would cut one tree for paper manufacturing then it would be best if that someone would plant 10 trees to replace it. In this way, we can sustain also the supply of trees for paper manufacturing.

The good thing about both is that you can recycle them. If my thinking was really pro-nature then do away with plastic bags and styrofoam containers and bring your own carrying or storage stuff. I'd rather reuse ice cream containers when maybe ordering a take-out soupy dish and use an eco bag instead of plastic bags. You can't do away with plastic nor paper bags, but you can definitely minimize the usage.

Both paper and plastic can be recyclable. It's just that paper is easier to recycle. In terms of durability, plastic has a better advantage. For example, though it gets wet we can still use it. Unlike paper that when it gets wet it becomes soft until it tears up. For me, I choose plastic. But this plastic should be like a specially made "bayong" type wherein we as individuals could carry goods conveniently and we can still use it again. All we need is to be wise enough.

Yeah I have the same dilemma as well when the city government decided to encourage the use of paper bags instead which is equally detrimental to our environment. If they encourage the use of reusable bags it would be fine since they can be reused over and over again. I think some malls do that instead than providing the paper bags. I also do not know about wet products like meats and fish products how they cannot avoid using plastic bags on it. I do not think paper bags could handle that? Some suggested that buyers would have to bring their own plastic containers?

its about time that we go back to the basics, a durable paper bag, one that will not easily tear apart. Plastic had caused so much convenience but it brought so much harm, clogged canals and the reason for segregation. Plastic is non biodegradable.

As I see usage of paper is better than the usage of plastics. But the problem comes here, as it is mentioned in the post is , since papers are made from trees, wouldn't it be an issue. True.... that's an issue too. But here usage of plastics more and more is greatly affecting nature, than usage of paper, which comes from trees. The thing i would suggest, to be the best is, Recycling. In here, usage of plastics is not banned, instead,it is encouraged to use the same container(Plastic or whatever) more and more. So that no more pollution will occur. We can't stop pollution to the environment. We can only reduce it.