Plastic Bags Edge Out Paper (Sort of)

EarthTalk on www.emagazine.com has some surprising facts about the “paper versus plastic” issue. Based on a study done in 1990 by Franklin Associates, plastic bags edge out paper bags in the “not quite as bad” category: “The Franklin report concluded that two plastic bags consume 13 percent less total energy than one paper bag. Additionally, the report found that two plastic bags produce a quarter of the solid waste, a fifteenth as much waterborne waste and half the atmospheric waste as one paper bag.” (read the article here: http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3893)

Of course, the article goes on to point out that plastic is not biodegradable and that the bags are one of the 12 most commonly found items during coastal cleanups according to the California Coastal Commission. So the best answer is still “neither, thanks, I brought my own”.