Paper or Plastic?

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Paper or Plastic... Fish or Trees ... is it Life or Death?

Paper or Plastic?

Paper or Plastic.... this is a tough one. One causes deforestation and the other one litters the ocean and kills fish if you are an environmentalist. You can carry many more bags at once with plastic than with paper but paper bags are much 'roomier' and your bread stays well.. bread-shaped.

Well, What's the Verdict? 

Is Paper or Plastic Better?

Paper or Plastic?

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Paper, All the Way!

BoulderRon says:

Cloth like HEMP,Bamboo,Cotton 1st
If I forget... Paper
If they don't have paper... Plastic but RECYCLE!!

DrPatriciaPayneOD says:

Definitely paper, more ecofriendly!

judyinsley says:

paper you can regrow it.....plastic sucks it kills it ends up in your food chain and you die.

naurahnuwairah says:

i wold say paper...go paper!!!

Aice says:

There are paper that look like plastic or shall I say biodegrable plastic (^_^) I would like to use that

POOKY says:

PAPER!!!

KevinRiley says:

Definitely paper. I hate plastic bags - so unnatural. At least, a paper bag degrades and becomes part of the soil. Plastic lasts forever and ends up in our oceans killing lots of marine animals. Paper doesn't have to cause deforestation, if fast-growing species are farmed instead of just harvested, and other sources of fiber are properly used or recycled.

Best solution: Use heavy cloth bags for shopping.

BlindOptimism says:

plastic reminds me too much of bad cheese

pschmitz says:

I can't believe you all are even making a choice! They both destroy our ever dying planet! I have decided to sow up my old shirts made of hemp and manure, and use those for bags. They save EVERYTHING...and they have a great outdoorsey smell to them!!!

Naw, I was just kidding, Paper for me. :-)

Spook says:

I'll go for paper

unique_freak77 says:

We can replant trees, right? Plastic won't decompose. While I hate deforestation, we gotta save the sea turtles!

nancy says:

save the sea turtles...don't use plastic

camille17 says:

Paper is easier to recycle, than the plastic =D

tanja7 says:

paper and my cotton tote bags

JMo99 says:

Actually I say
Neither Nor, Don't even drive to the store either or.

Hi, Couple of new kids on the block here

sheena says:

paper all the way, becoz when we cut trees we can plant them back and recycle them easily.

MiaD says:

sundaydriver says 'neither'..i would say - both - under the condition of (re)using them wisely, aware and counscious of the consequences...our daily life proves we need them both for different functions/characteristics, some of them cannot be substituted from one with the other (see al least shynab 56's comment)..

bbclarke97 says:

In order to be good to our environment I say Paper even though
plastic is more convenient. We all need to make small sacrifices.

LoneCyclist says:

Paper,plant trees and use only biodegradable plastic,

VARADHARAJAN says:

i prefer paper bags.i don't want the world to get polluted by plastic

Plastic Rocks!

RECYCLE GIRL says:

PLASTIC AND PAPER RULES!!!!!!!! SO REDUCE,REUSE AND RECYCLE

hermoine says:

plastic rocks. as shynab56 says i was also embaresse once when my cereal poured out of the paper bag. i also prefer cloth bags as they are comfortable and also contain large amount of groceries. there could also be an option for cloth bags. hats off cloth bags.

CuteCountryClipart says:

Plastic...not to save the trees, because I'm not a tree hugger and I'm not green. Plastic is easier.

Tipi says:

I mostly use plastic and recycle at home for many things. I think a cloth bag looks smart and I should use them more.

wolf-mama says:

I know I'm a bad girl using plastic. Shame on me :)

Joodie says:

Easier to carry to my apartment.

shynab56 says:

I prefer plastic bags. I was one time embarrass when when my paper bag spilled out it contents. Wash-out as they say. I did not turn my back and leave immediately. As to the hazards that the plastic bags may have on our environment, the people will care about them. Let us keep recycling to minimize the problem. Plastic bags are handy while paper bags are risky!

MexicoLarry says:

In Mexico they don't even offer paper, but that's not much of an endorsement! But really, plastic bags are much more useful to reuse for all sorts of things afterwards.

2inlaws says:

I do reuse them at home!

ShakerMaker says:

Plastic! Easier to carry and easy
to use to keep the litter box tidy.

BarbD says:

I actually prefer re-usable canvas totes. However, with the new materials, many plastic bags are made with biodegradable and/or recycled materials. Plus, plastic bags are in fact MORE reusable. Think about it, you need to throw your wet, stinky gym clothes in something, are you going to use plastic or paper?

Just remember to save them to re-use and/or recycle them!

BeCanDo says:

Paper is traditionally a more sustainable and degradable option, however some new plastics, called bioplastics are both biodegradable and come from renewable resources.

As long as we are talking bioplastics they are the better option. Being more lightweight and compact the transport costs are reduced. As other debaters have mentioned the issue is to re-use as well.

BostonRob says:

Heck, where I live they just say ' open your arms and catch '

Abbotts says:

I say plastic. Our local I G A sells heavy plastic bags to use over and over.They donate a certain amount back to our school. That is neat. The problem is not so much plastic as no one ever thinks of the amount of times you can use a heavy plastic bag. Most just throw it away . That is what creates clutter. Love this SQUIDOO

Mac33 says:

Paper is better for the environment, but plastic bags are more useful because they get reused to clean up after my dog.

girlyred says:

I like plastic better but, it's important to remember to recycle.

ComingSoon says:

Plastic, but only if we talk about Biodegradable that it will decompose in the natural environment.
Want to know more? Wikipedia is the answer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodegradable_plastic

GypsyPirate says:

I can take my plastic bags back and have them recycled again so they don't go to the ocean. Mostly, I do use my reusable tote bag, which I think does look cool.

 
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Paper Or Plastic Debated on Camera 

Paper or Plastic Recycling videos

Science: Paper, Plastic and Persistence - nytimes.com/video

Runtime: 2:54 | 285 views | 4 Comments

 

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Do some Research with books made from paper 

Don't see a lot of plastic books around do ya?

Paper or Plastic: Searching for Solutions to an Overpackaged World

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Paper or Plastic: Life in the Check-Out Lane

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"Paper or Plastic?": Energy, Environment, and Consumerism in Sweden and America

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OK, So What's the Final Decision Here? 

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