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Paper or Plastic, the Age Old Question, But should the answer be?...

Paper or Plastic, the Age Old Question, But should the answer be?. No Thanks, I brought my Own!. When we grocery shop we make many decisions on what to buy for our families Which food is the healthiest Which foods will they eat What items are the least expensive What can I afford

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Paper or Plastic, the Age Old Question, But should the answer be?...

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  1. Paper or Plastic, the Age Old Question, But should the answer be?... No Thanks, I brought my Own!

  2. When we grocery shop we make many decisions on what to buy for our families • Which food is the healthiest • Which foods will they eat • What items are the least expensive • What can I afford • One final decision to make – Paper or Plastic – Hopefully your answer is… “No Thanks, I brought my own.

  3. First a bit of history on the Paper Bag and the Plastic bag and also how each is made

  4. Invented in 1883 when Charles Stillwell of Philadelphia invented a machine to mass-produce them (Greenfeet 2009). • They were made from “kraft” paper – kraft is from the German language meaning ‘strong’. Kraft paper is know for its strength and course texture. (Greenfeet 2009). • Before this, bags were made by store employees that were pasted together after a sale (Kootz 1996) • They replaced the reusable canvas bag. History of the Paper Grocery Bag

  5. Became popular in the 70’s when environmentalists raised concerns about how paper bags took too many trees to produce • In the late 1950’s the first plastic sandwich bags were introduced in stores (Morris n.d.) • In the 70’s major retailers such as JCPenny and Sears adopted plastic bags for their merchandise • In 1977 grocery chains introduced plastic bags to their customers. History of the Plastic Grocery Bag

  6. In the early 1980’s a machine was introduced that could produce 500 bags a minute, which made they less expense to produce • In 1996, it was estimated that 4 out of 5 grocery bags were plastic • Because of the low cost and east of transportation, many grocery stores were only offering plastic bags (Battle 2009) History of the Plastic Grocery Bag (Cont.)

  7. It takes many trees and water to make paper • It takes 1 gallon of water to make 1 paper bag, 50 times more than that of plastic bags • Machinery, which requires fossil fuel, is used to remove the logs from the forest, by trucks, or it too remote, by helicopter • Most grocery bags are made from virgin fibers (not recycled paper) to ensure strength (Nuckols 1997) • Kootz (1996) states that one 15-20 year old tree yields 700 paper bags, which means more than 14 million trees are cut down for a year’s supply of paper grocery bags How Paper Bags are Made

  8. Trees must dry at least 3 years before they can be used • Machinery is used to strip the bark and then chipped into 1 inch squares and cooked under tremendous heat and pressure • The wood stew is then “digested” with a limestone and sulfurous acid for 8 hours • Steam and moisture is vented to the outside atmosphere, and the original wood becomes pulp • The pulp is then washed and bleached, both stages requiring thousands of gallons of clean water. How Paper Bags are Made (Cont.)

  9. Coloring is added to more water, and then is combined in a ratio of 1 part pulp to 400 parts water to make paper • The pulp/water mixture is dumped into a web of bronze wires, the water showers through, leaving the pulp which, in turn, is rolled into paper (Greenfeet 2009) • Making paper bags not only uses a lot of trees and many, many gallons of water; it also takes chemicals, electricity, and fossil fuels to turn a shipment of logs to a finished paper bag. How Paper Bags are Made (Cont.)

  10. According to Greenfeet (2009), most plastic bags are made from a type of plastic called polyethylene • 80% of polyethylene is produced from natural gas, which is abundant, but not a renewable resource • Polyethylene, as a raw material, can be manipulated into any shape, size, form, or color; it is water tights, anything can be printed on it, and it can be made UV resistant. • Since the 1980’s they are extremely inexpensive to produce and since they are so compact they are can ship lots of them in one truck load How Plastic Bags are Made

  11. You can store your newspapers in them until recycling day • Under your sink as a garbage bag • They can also be used in your garden as a weed blocker. According to Greenfeet (2009), you can put them down over weeds and cover with mulch and they eventually break down and will compost naturally • Greenfoot (2009) also states that if your bags does not have a lot of printing on them, they can be thrown right into the compost pile, or use them to pick up yard waste and simply pitch the whole bag into the compost Ways to Reuse/Recycle Paper Bags

  12. If a paper bag ends up in a landfill - Paper is biodegradable; however, in order for something to biodegrade, it needs air, sunlight, and water. Typically landfills are put under the ground so they are not able to get to all three of these • If a paper bag ends up at the recycling center – Since paper bags are made of virgin fibers they can be recycled up to 4 times, before the fibers are too short (Nuckols 1997) • In order to be recycled they must be returned to pulp, which takes more water and several different chemicals Ways to Reuse/Recycle Paper Bags (Cont.)

  13. Many uses in the home; lining a garbage bag, suitcase for a kids sleepover, carry gym clothes, bring that wet swim suit and towel home from the beach, or cleaning up after the dog • Plastic is not biodegradable and does not break down in a compost pile. • It will photo-degrade, meaning over time, and when exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sunlight, the plastic material’s chemical “chain” starts to break down resulting in microscopic particles that mix in with soil. This process could take several 100 years and only when exposed to correct conditions. Ways to Reuse/Recycle Plastic Bags

  14. Based on the article from Greenfeet (2009) it has been debated that is takes approx 500-1000 years for plastic bags to decompose; however, we have never had any first hand evidence of this happening. • They also stated that it is most likely that every single piece of plastic created is still here on this plant. • According to Sayre (2007), every year more than 500 million plastic bags are distributed and less than 3% of those bags are recycled. • If plastic bags are recycled they can be melted and reformed into products such as plastic lumber for decks, fence material, and park benches. Ways to Reuse/Recycle Plastic Bags (Cont.)

  15. Stray plastic bags pose a threat to nature and marine life • If ingested, the bags can block the stock and cause starvation. Sea Turtles, for example, mistake plastic bags for jellyfish • Based on an article from the Environmental Literacy Council (2004) in 2002 a minke whale that washed up on a beach in Normandy was found to have 800 grams/1.76 pounds of plastic and other packaging in its stomach. • Stray plastic bags can also clog sewer pipes, leading to stagnant, standing water. More Environmental Issues with Plastic Bags

  16. Cloth bags were used many years before the paper bag was even invented • Once the paper bag was invented, people quit using their canvas/cloth bags • According to Greenfeet (2009), cloth bags are made of renewable resources, take minimal energy to produce, and are light, durable, and will last for years. • Most are machine washable and great to keep in the trunk for your car • Most grocery stores sell a cloth bag with their logo on them and they come quite large Why Cloth Bags

  17. Most grocery stores sell a cloth bag with their logo on them for usually only $1.00 and they are typically quit large. • Can typically fit in more groceries in a Cloth bag than most paper or plastic bags • EnviroTote (2009) stated that the average American makes 2.3 trips to the grocery store each week and walks away with 5 to 10 bags each time, which is between 600 to 1200 bags each year • When using cloth bags the consumer does not have to worry about recycling all these bags, having them end up in landfills, or having them pile up in their cupboards Why Cloth Bags (Cont.)

  18. Is either paper or plastic a good choice? – Probably Not! • The best choice is the reusable cloth bag, or any canvas bag you have laying around the house. • The hardest part of using your own bags is remembering to bring them to the store. • The best way to remember them is to put them right back into your car as soon as you empty them from your last grocery trip. • Another way to remember them is to make them the first item on your grocery list each week What Should a Person Use?

  19. So next time you are at the Grocery Store and you are asked – Paper or Plastic Answer: “No Thanks, I brought my Own”

  20. Battle, E.  (2009, January 29). Should these bags get the sack: How to keep plastic bags at bay? McClatchy - Tribune Business Newspgs.  Retrieved November 8, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Complete database. (Document ID: 1634899201). EnviroTote (2009). Retrieved November 15, 2009 from http://www.enviro-tote.com/cloth-grocery-bags.html Koontz, T. (1996, March). Bag it. E - The Environmental Magazine, 7(2), 42. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from Academic Search Premier Database. Morris T. (n.d.). About plastic grocery bags. Retrieved November 8, 2009 from http://www.ehow.com/about_4565070_plastic-grocery-bags.html Nuckols, C.  (1997, December 27). Paper, plastic? It's not in the bag. [FINAL HOME EDITION]. Tulsa World, p. D3.  Retrieved October 28, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand database. (Document ID: 25135539). Paper vs. plastic – the shopping bag debate. (2009). Retrieved October 28, 2009 from http://www.greenfeet.net/newsletter/debate.shtml Paper or Plastic? (2004) Retrieved November 8, 2009 from http://www.enviroliteracy.org/article.php/1268.html Sayre, C. (2007, April 9). 24 Just say no to plastic bags. (Cover story). Time, 169(15), 82-82. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from Academic Search Premier Database. References

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