evaluate use of paper bags versus plastic bags on the following parameters- cost, durability, reusability, impact on environment ?
Answers
Your answer in the Attachment ARMY.
It's a pretty debated subject and there's not a clear answer.
Overall:
Plastic requires less energy to produce and takes up less space in landfills (i.e. the size of one plastic bag is substantially smaller in volume than a paper bag). That being said, paper bags are compostable and pose no threat to marine life if let loose.
Additional Detail:
Source:
Plastic - Largely from natural gas to form polyethylene.
Paper - Originally from trees collected from forests then processed to pulp. Paper is known to cause almost twice the air pollution to produce.
Transportation:
By volume, paper is 5-7x greater, meaning it requires much more fuel and storage space to transport bags to the grocer.
Use:
A paper bag can hold 3-4x that of a single plastic bag.
Recycling:
Plastic - Recycling is very limited and 95%+ goes straight to landfills.
Paper - Higher recycling rate at 15%, but still limited.
It takes less energy to recycle a plastic bag, if done properly. But in landfills, neither plastic or paper decomposes due to the lack of proper air / water.
Conclusion:
Paper actually takes more resources to produce, hence the reason plastic is the common choice (75% of bags). The issue today is the low recycling rate and overuse. If both types were fully recycled, the impact of plastic overall is said to be less (PDF: http://bit.ly/1ppg3).
Reusable bags are the best choice hands down.