It’s been almost nine months since the UK government introduced a mandatory 5p charge on plastic carrier bags in major retailers, in an effort to curb the massive environmental problems caused by overuse of plastic bags. By incentivising people to reuse their bags, the government aims to reduce the vast amount of plastic that’s thrown away each year; waste plastic is highly toxic and damaging to our world’s wildlife, and overuse is causing severe problems.
By using paper bags instead of plastic you can help reduce the amount of waste clogging up our eco-system – here are 5 solid reasons why paper beats plastic when it comes to helping our environment:
Paper decomposes naturally
Inevitably, you’ll need to throw out your used bags, but what happens afterwards varies greatly depending on the materials used. Once a paper bag reaches the landfill, it decomposes and becomes part of the ecosystem again usually within a month, but plastic bags last a thousand years before breaking down.
Paper is more easily and widely recycled
Plastic bags can be recycled, but because every type of plastic requires a different process, they can’t be lumped in with your other everyday recycling and instead require separate trips to a recycling point. Paper, on the other hand, is one of the most easily recycled materials there is, to the point where most paper bags actually contain a percentage of reused paper.
Plastic is more damaging outside of a landfill
Plastic bags that aren’t disposed of properly constitute a major hazard to wildlife. Animals mistake them for food (especially when they contain food residue) and can choke when trying to eat them. Plastic bags are also a major contributor to the Pacific Trash Vortex, an enormous area of contaminated sea six times the size of the UK, posing a major threat to marine life.
Paper lets through air and moisture
For the same reason that paper bags are better for storing your fruit and vegetables in, paper also presents less of a threat to any creature becoming caught in them. The dangers of suffocation are lessened, and the bag itself is more easily escaped from. Compared to a billowy, airtight plastic bag, a paper bag is much less likely to be fatal.
Manufacturing a plastic bag is harmful to the environment
Even recycled plastic bags require intensive re-moulding and melting, a process which releases harmful gases into the atmosphere. Paper bags, on the other hand, are made from wood pulp, a naturally occurring and easily renewable resource. Though some unscrupulous companies indiscriminately clear valuable forests, most paper bag producers use FSC-certified sources for their bags, so you know that your bag has come from a responsible source.
