Are Paper Or Plastic Bags More Environmentally Friendly?
Expert Says Reusable Cloth Bags Are Best For Environment
Paper or plastic? Some don't even think about the answer -- and others preach that paper is the way to go.
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Gruder said
paper is bad because of the amount of energy it takes to produce each bag and the fact that it takes down some 14 million trees.
Plastic, she said, is bad because it's made from oil and because the millions of bags that eventually make their way into oceans can kill wildlife.
But all that said, Gruder conceded that there are some benefits to plastic.
"It does take much less energy though to make them," Gruder said. "And actually, even though they're made from oil, (they produce) less air pollution and water pollution in the manufacturing process."
So, if you have to make the choice, science and Wisconsin's distance from oceans indicate that plastic is better. But can the science be trusted? Most of the studies that are pro-plastic are done by the plastic industry, and pro-paper studies are funded by the paper industry.
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