Environmental Impacts: Plastic and Paper Disposable Bags

SUMMARY
Paper and plastic bags are commonplace items in the lives of most Americans. However, their production and disposal cause significant environmental damage, which in turn harms public health. Because of this, efforts should be made by both individuals and communities to curb their use.

PLASTIC BAGS
Production
Manufacturing of plastic bags consumes natural resources such as coal, uranium, and water. It also releases 1 hydrocarbons, volatile organic compounds, and CO2 into the atmosphere, contributing to air pollution. The amount of energy used to manufacture one plastic bag is approximately equivalent to the amount of energy 2 used to drive a car 376 feet.

Disposal
Plastic bags never fully breakdown but rather photodegrade, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces over 3 thousands of years and increasing the toxicity of the local environment. Plastic bags make up 80% of pollution in the ocean, where the bags can kill wildlife through ingestion, entanglement, or suffocation. Additionally, they can block gutters and drains and are a main source of litter in many 2 areas.

PAPER BAGS
Production
10 billion paper bags are used in the United States, which requires cutting down 14 million trees. This production 6 process both releases greenhouse gases and eliminates a key carbon sink. The production of one paper bag produces 50 g of solid waste, 2.6 kg of waterborne waste, and 1.5 g of airborne 4 emissions.

Disposal
Paper bags make up 1.0% of the volume of landfills in the United States. Paper is more often recycled than plastic bags and is accepted by more local recycling facilities. Specifically, 10-15% 6 of paper bags are recycled in the United States each year.
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PAPER VS. PLASTIC?

While producing plastic bags is less detrimental to the environment than the production of paper bags, the disposal of plastic bags is much more harmful than disposing paper bags.
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