Paper or Plastic?

Which has less impact on environment and air quality?paper or plastic?

As with many environmental and air quality issues, the answer is not as simple as we might wish.

• Both paper and plastic shopping bags start with natural materials.
• Both manufacturing processes contribute to air pollution including the final loading and shipping of the product.
• Paper bags are made from wood pulp, requiring the logging of countless acres of forest.
• Plastic bags are made of natural products, oil and natural gas, combined with synthetic materials which contribute to air pollution in the manufacturing process.
• Plastic bags decompose more slowly than paper, but take up less space in landfills and generate less solid waste.
• Paper bags clog sewers, combined with logging, this has a larger immediate effect on wildlife and generates large amounts of waste.
• Approximately 100 billion plastic bags are trashed each year. What is the affect on air quality? According to the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment, plastic bags don't create a large amount of air pollution in their decomposition process. In fact, when 2 paper bags and 2 plastic bags were compared to see which one polluted more, the decomposition of paper bags contributed 35 percent more to atmospheric pollution than the plastic bags.

So, how do you ensure your personal contribution to environmental waste and air pollution is kept to a minimum? Choose to re-use.

• Recycle and re-use paper and plastic bags to minimize consumption.
• Better yet, bring your own shopping bags. Mesh or canvas shopping bags can be purchased and kept on hand for your everyday shopping needs.

( Coming soon! BREATHE LA re-usuable recycled mesh shopping bags! and other green products to help you protect our planet! )