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According to China Radio International, the choice between paper and plastic shopping bags presents a complex environmental dilemma. Each time consumers shop, they face this decision. Despite their respective advantages and disadvantages, even environmental experts find this seemingly simple choice perplexing. Experts note that paper bags derive from wood, while plastic bags originate from crude oil. Producing the annual volume of shopping bags used in the United States requires either 14 million trees or 12 million barrels of oil. Paper bag production generates 70% more air pollution than plastic bag production. However, plastic bags resist natural degradation, potentially persisting for centuries or millennia.
Due to their lower production costs, plastic bags are predominantly chosen by American grocery stores. San Francisco, however, is restricting consumer use of conventional plastic bags. Starting this April, the city will permit only biodegradable plastic bags or renewable paper bags. Biodegradable plastic bags decompose within months rather than centuries.
Environmentalists advocate for recycling both paper and plastic bags. They emphasize that the optimal choice remains reusable cloth bags, encouraging consumers to consistently bring their own bags.
Key Data Comparison: Plastic Bags vs. Paper Bags
Plastic Bag
- Annually, the world consumes 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags.
- Plastic bags are non-biodegradable but photodegradable, breaking down under sunlight exposure.
- High-density polyethylene plastic bags remain undecomposed for centuries when buried underground.
- In U.S. coastal areas, plastic bags rank among the ten most common types of garbage.
Paper Bag
- Paper bag production generates 70% more air pollutants and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bag production.
- Two thousand plastic bags weigh approximately 30 pounds, while two thousand paper bags weigh around 280 pounds, requiring more landfill space.
- Recycling one pound of plastic bags requires 91% less energy than recycling one pound of paper bags.
- Producing a paper bag consumes over four times the energy required for a plastic bag.