Paper Or Plastic? I'll Take Recycled, Please

By Author: Vikram Kumar
Total Articles: 9377
Comment this article

Paper or Plastic? It's a question asked thousands of times daily in stores throughout the U.S. But once you take into account the environmental impact both those products have, either option begins to look less than attractive to the eco-conscious consumer.
Over 8 billion plastic shopping bags are manufactured every year in the United States. While recycling efforts have certainly gone some way to reducing the amount of bags littering our streets or being disposed of in landfills, the impact of this problem is still disturbingly significant. The environmental effect of plastic bags within our own towns and cities is clearly visible but stray plastic bags also contribute to lesser known problems of plastic pollution that can lead to a toxic chemical buildup within nature's fragile ecosystems.
As concern grows and the population becomes more educated on the threat plastic contaminants pose, some cities are considering the creation of laws specifically aimed at limiting and controlling the use and disposal of plastic shopping bags. While these actions are commendable, environmentally conscious consumers are looking ...
... for ways to introduce eco-friendly routines into their own shopping habits.
Faced with the original question of paper or plastic, the common view is that paper bags are a more environmentally friendly option over their plastic alternative. This could not be further from the truth. Paper bags require four times more energy to produce than a plastic bag and during the manufacturing process; they produce 70 percent more air pollution and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags. Recycling one pound of paper requires 91 percent more energy than the equivalent weight of plastic.
Advertised as the solution to the plastic and paper bag problem, biodegradable bags seem like the perfect compromise for those who want the convenience of store supplied bags and still want to lower their carbon footprint. However, biodegradable bags pose their own concerns, foremost of which is the failure to address the main problem of consumption. Bio-bags require just as much energy to produce as plastic bags, require their own processing facilities and, when mixed in with traditional plastic bags during the recycling process, can render both the conventional plastic bags and the bio-bags unrecyclable.
Reusable eco-friendly plastic shopping bags, however, are fast being recognized as an excellent alternative to both paper and plastic bags, but consumers are faced with a huge range of choices when looking to purchase an eco-friendly bag. The market is saturated with supposedly green reusable shopping bags that, for the most part, do not stand up to scrutiny when subjected to closer inspection. So what are the choices for the environmentally responsible consumer?
Canvas Bags: production of cotton consumes massive amounts of water during its growing cycle. Large quantities of herbicides are also used during the harvesting of cotton.
Polypropylene: While a better choice than disposable plastic bags, the production of one polypropylene bag is equal in energy to that of 11 disposable plastic bags.
Polyester: A more eco-friendly choice than Polypropylene, greenhouse gas emissions during this material' production process still equates to that of seven disposable plastic shopping bags.
A better option is found in material known as Recycled Polyethylene Terephalate or RPET. This material is created from 100-percent recycled plastic water bottles (another major contributor to the greenhouse gasses and environmental pollution). According to the Environmental Protection Agency, two-thirds less energy is required to manufacture products out of this recycled plastic and reduces emissions of dangerous chemicals like sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide by as much as 66 percent.
Ecozuri is a California based company that uses only RPET in the production of their reusable plastic shopping bags. Owners of Ecozuri bags love the chic design, bright colors and the bag's ability to fold into a conveniently small package that can fit into the palm of your hand. Designed to meet the needs of families, each bag is machine washable, can hold up to 50-pounds and is available in a range of vibrant colors that are sure to appeal to every member of your family.

Ecozuri bags are incredibly compact but one of the biggest problems for owners of reusable bags is actually remembering to take the bags with them when they go shopping. That's why Ecozuri designed their unique Forget-Me-Not reminder kits, to make it easy for you to remember to use and reuse your bag - and they come free with every Ecozuri bag.
The Forget-Me-Not kit contains either a door hanger which doubles as a plastic bag recycler which you can use to store any stray plastic bags for recycling, an earth tone steering wheel wrap that slips easily on to your vehicle's steering wheel or a flexible engraved buckle that you can use to attach your Ecozuri bag to your key chain.
So the next time you are asked whether you would prefer paper or plastic, just remember there is a third option: Recycled.
To learn more about Ecozuri products (including their wholesale factory-direct information) visit www.Ecozuri.com

Author Bio

For more information aobut wholesale factory direct and and other Green products visit EcoZuri.com