Great info on paper versus plastic from Nashville Wraps. Check out the full article at nashvillewrapscommunity.com/ blog/?p=46.
Plastic used to be made from Asian resin. Now it is made from natural gas and a by-product of the distillation of oil, not from the oil itself. And plastic, unlike paper, can be recycled indefinitely, and at a lower cost.
Also, there are now ways to make really good recycled plastic bags. There is a new additive that is put into HDPE plastic bags. It helps the PE molecules biodegrade. This process takes place aerobically or anaerobically. It takes place with or without the presence of light. These factors promote biodegradation even in landfill conditions which are normally not conducive to biodegradation. Paper will biodegrade when oxygen and moisture are present neither of which are readily available in landfills.
If you’ve read the blog post about PLA, you will remember that PLA currrently is compostable, but not biodegradable. Nashville Wraps recommends PE plastic, but not PLA for this reason.
Here’s a factual comparison of the real environmental, and dollars, involved in paper versus plastic. In a nutshell, because paper is so much bulkier, it costs a lot more to produce and ship.
| 1000 Grocery Size Shopping Bags | ||
 Paper |
 Plastic |
|
| Weight | 140 lbs. | 15 lbs. |
| Cubic Feet | 17.8 cu. feet | 0.4 cu. feet |
| Cost | $230 | $35 |
| Shipping | $28 | $3 |
| Total Cost | $258 | $38 |
| Diesel used in transit | 0.58 gallons | 0.06 gallons |
| Biodegradable? | yes | yes |
| Recyclable? | yes | yes |
| Air Emissions | 3.225 lbs. solids | 1.62 lbs. solids |
| Petroleum used | 3.67 lbs. | 1.62 lbs. |
| BTUs required | 1,629,000 | 649,000 |
| Indefinite recycled life? | no | yes |
| USA raw materials? | yes | yes |
| Shipping assumes truck freight at $20/cwt for 1,000 miles average. 6 mile per gallon hauling 40,000 lbs in a full truck load. Emission and BTU data from The University of Texas at Austin, Michigan Technological University, and the US Environmental Protection Agency 2001. Bags are compared with new materials. Plastic bags require less energy to collect and recycle than paper bags. | ||