WHY REUSABLE?
Many single-use products are over-consumed, yet few are as ubiquitous as the shopping bag. From ‘conception’ to ‘death’ every product we use follows roughly the same lifecycle steps. What varies at each stage is the imprint the product leaves on our health, our environment, our quality of life etc. The lifecycle of the disposable bag looks something like this:
Resource Extraction
Plastic The US alone uses approximately 12 million barrels of oil each year to make plastic bags. Drilling causes pollution and damages surrounding eco-systems.
Paper Over 14 million trees are felled to produce our country’s annual supply of paper bags. Clearing forests eradicates eco-systems and reduces the ability of the earth to absorb greenhouse gasses.
Fabrication
Plastic The refinement of plastic generates multiple toxic by-products, many of which have been linked to cancer, birth defects and damage to nervous and immune systems. Over half of the energy required to manufacture plastic bags is generated by nuclear fission, which requires the disposal of radioactive waste in deep sea trenches and underground caves.
Paper Paper mills release millions of tons of toxic wastewater each day. Contained in this waste are dioxins (linked to cancer and reproductive defects in humans) and organchlorides (disrupt reproduction and development in all organisms). The production of a paper bag is actually more detrimental than that of plastic; plastic requires 40% less energy, produces up to 80% less solid waste, 72% less atmospheric emissions and 90% less waterborne waste.
Distribution
Motor vehicles release nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide, substances that contribute to ozone formation, acid rain, and water quality problems. They also have adverse effects on the human body. Because of it’s weight, paper doubles the fuel consumption of a motor engine.
Useful Life
500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year. The US is responsible for at least 100 billion of these. Domestic consumption of paper bags is approximately 10 billion.
Disposal by Recycling
Plastic Less than 3% of plastic bags are ever recycled. This is due to low recycling rates among consumers and the weak economic incentives for waste management organizations.
Paper To recycle paper you must first return it to pulp using many of the same chemicals used in the production process. It takes 91% more energy to recycle a pound of paper than it takes to recycle a pound of plastic. Less than 20% of paper bags are ever recycled.
Disposal as Landfill/Litter
Plastic Unexposed to natural elements, plastic bags remain intact for about 1,000 years. Outdoors they never fully degrade, breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces until absorbed by soil and water. This dust then has the potential to enter the food chain through lower level organisms.
As plastic decomposes it releases the highly toxic organochlorine and the greenhouse gas methane. In addition, it is estimated that 100,000 marine animals die every year from ingesting or becoming entangled in plastic bags.
Paper Paper decomposition releases carbon dioxide and methane. Paper bags take up 9 times more space in landfills.
While most people think of the disposable bag as free, the costs associated with its manufacture and disposal are passed on, at least in part, to consumers. It is estimated that retailers in the United States pay $4 billion dollars every year for plastic bags, an expense that shoppers absorbs in the form of higher prices. In addition, city and state governments must allocate tax dollars for plastic bag clean up and disposal. The city of San Francisco estimates it spends $8.5 million each year for this purpose.
From a consumer standpoint, reusable bags are cost-effective. The average grocery store credits shoppers 5-10 cents for every reusable bag you bring. This means a Bag the Habit bag will pay for itself over the course of its lifetime.
Sources: U.S. Federal Office of the Environment, American Forest and Paper Association, American Retailers Association, Reusablebags.com, The Sierra Club, Environmental Protection Agency and the Wall Street Journal.