by Ximena Smith
Paper or plastic? The answer to this question may seem obvious – at least, it was to me when I made a new years resolution this year to not accept any plastic bags in 2011. All was going well for the first few months, as I nobly declined plastic bags and graciously accepted paper ones, as paper bags were recyclable, right? And if I recycled these paper bags then I was being environmentally aware, right? I had happily conformed to this belief – up until recently that is. I received a paper bag that would have been placed into the recycling bin like the rest of my paper bags, until I noticed a message on the inside of the bag. This message simply directed me to remove the material handles before recycling, as otherwise it would end up in a landfill. This seemingly straight-forward message actually came as quite a shock to me, as it made me realise that my recycling knowledge was really quite limited, and that maybe my virtuous ‘paper-over-plastic’ efforts weren’t quite as saint-like as I had hoped. A reassessment of my recycling values was needed, and this could only be done through further research. I needed to find out the true environmental benefits of these deceptive paper bags. My findings provided me with another large dosage of shock; if the majority of society’s beliefs about recycling were as naïve as mine previously were, then we are all in a bit of trouble. I discovered that not only was the energy requirement for paper bag production four times the amount than that of plastic bag production, but also paper bag production emits 80 per cent more greenhouse gases. This seems rather ironic, if we consider the fact that trees are both a large absorber of greenhouse gases but also the main ingredient in the production of paper. Furthermore, the recycling process of paper requires a large amount of energy, almost as much as required to produce the bags in the first place, and plastic labels or stickers on the bag can make the process much more difficult. However plastic bags have their own set of problems. As we all know, they are a major contributor to litter around public places, and they also are a big hazard to our countries wildlife, as some birds and other creatures can mistake it for food. Plastic bags also have a very slow degradation process, estimated to be 500-1000 years in a landfill, and they are also unable to be recycled with other plastics through the council kerbside collection, as they can clog the recycling factories’ machinery. But what about biodegradable plastic bags? Surely they are the solution to this paper-plastic conundrum? Sadly, biodegradable plastic bags are not as green as they sound. They need specific conditions to biodegrade, such as the right amount of exposure to sunlight and oxygen, and also the right temperature. When the bags are eventually broken down, sometimes they can leave plastic residues or wastes that cannot further degrade. So what really is the answer to this difficult quandary? Do we just continue accepting the bags offered to us at supermarkets and stores, hoping that one day an intelligent person will come and give us all bags that are made more efficiently and eco-friendly? Oh wait, that’s
20.
already happened, with Anya Hindmarch’s popular invention of the ‘I am not a Plastic Bag’ canvas tote bag. Also many supermarkets now provide reusable shopping bags for a small cost and you can alternatively buy bags that can be compressed and folded down into a small size, such as polyester EnviroSax, which are great to carry in a handbag whilst shopping. However, if you have a collection of plastic bags at home waiting to be collected on the next rubbish day, then try to use them a second time before they are thrown into a landfill. The Auckland Council website suggests good second-time uses of plastic bags include using one as a wet umbrella cover that keeps the rest of the contents of your bag dry, or alternatively using a bag to wrap your shoes inside whilst packing luggage, to keep the rest of your clothes clean. Another way that you can help reduce our country’s bag consumption is to be more aware if you are a parttime shop assistant. If a customer already has a collection of half-full shopping bags, perhaps consider asking them if they need a bag, instead of automatically wrapping it up and putting it into yet another bag that they will inevitably throw away. So New Year’s resolution 2012? I’m working on it as I carry around my canvas tote; maybe you should too so future generations don’t live on top of this week’s disposed plastic shopping bags.
issue 13 2011