Keeping it Green

GROCERY BAGS:

PLASTIC VS. PAPER

Plastic bags are made out of polyethylene or polythene. Polythene is produced from crude oil and natural gas, two non-renewable resources found underground. Because plastic bags are so durable, this makes them a concern for the environment. They will not break down easily and as a result are very harmful to wildlife. Each year millions of discarded plastic shopping bags end up as plastic waste litter in the environment when improperly disposed of. The same properties that have made plastic bags so commercially successful and ubiquitous — namely their low weight and resistance to degradation — have also contributed to their proliferation in the environment. Due to their durability, plastic bags can take centuries to decompose. It can take between 500 and 1,000 years for a plastic shopping bag to break down., according to The Outline. The average use of a plastic bag is approximately 12 minutes. Plastic bags were found to constitute a significant portion of the floating marine debris in the waters around southern Chile, according to Wikipedia.

In most cases, paper grocery bags are made from recycled paper, which is gathered and processed in a recycling paper mill. In rare cases, the paper is created from fresh paper pulp, which is essentially thin shavings of wood from trees. Republic Services in Missoula and Valley Recycling in Kalispell both take paper grocery bags for recycling, and these bags are also burnable in a home burn barrel or pile. Smaller paper sacks can be used in the produce dept. as a substitute for plastic.

Possibly the most environmentally friendly option is a reusable grocery bag. Shoppers can bring bags they have at home and keep them in a box in the trunk of their car. Most stores have such bags for sale at a reasonable price, and they last a long time.

Whatever type of bag is used, the key to reducing its environmental impact is to reuse it as many times as possible.

COUNTY CHALLENGE-

BRING YOUR OWN!

Sanders County Recycling would like to see paper or reusable grocery bags replace plastic bags in our county grocery and convenience stores. We salute McGowan’s Grocery in Plains, who did away with plastic carry-out bags and are providing reusable ones for sale or for free if folks can’t afford them. They are using small paper bags in their produce department.

Talk to your local store manager and see if paper and reusable would be a viable option for them to replace plastic bags.