Paper Vs. Plastic Recycling

Paper or plastic? The choice is not just about grocery bags, but about all sorts of containers, from juice boxes to laundry detergent. There are drawbacks to both kinds, and consumers often choose convenience and low cost over whatever is best for the environment.

History

• People use much more plastic today than they did 50 years ago. Plastic is used in packaging and for grocery bags, where before these items were often made of paper. But the good news is, more people are learning to recycle both paper and plastic. Recycling involves not only separating trash and depositing paper and plastic in separate locations, but also developing a market for the recycled product. Today, more items are made from recycled products than before, but it is possible to do more. A survey done by Proctor and Gamble reveals that most consumers are still not willing to pay more for items made from or packaged using recycled products.

Significance

• Paper makes up the largest percentage of garbage. According to the Museum of Solid Waste and Energy, 35 percent of our trash is paper, compared to only 11 percent plastic, when you measure by weight. Recycling paper not only saves trees, but it also saves water and energy. The same museum tells us that it takes 50 percent less water to make paper from recycled paper products than when making it from wood products. So recycling paper is a good idea, but using plastic grocery bags is, too. Making plastic grocery bags takes 20 to 40 percent less energy than making the same amount of paper bags, and the plastic bags also cost less to transport and store because they are lighter and take up less space.

Types

• Paper and paper products are recycled more than plastic, 45 percent compared to 36 percent, according to the Museum of Solid Waste and Energy. That might be because recycling plastic is confusing. There are seven different kinds of plastics that can be recycled, and not all local recycling centers take every kind. They have to be sorted separately before being made into something else, because even a little bit of the wrong kind can ruin the whole batch. Compare this to paper, which can be recycled more easily unless it contains wax or glue or is coated with plastic or foil.

Considerations

• Some point out that plastic will remain long after paper degrades, but most landfills are places where neither paper nor plastic will degrade. Allowing paper to degrade causes the production of toxic gases, so most landfills try to avoid this by burying everything where no oxygen can reach it. One drawback of plastic containers is that they have tops or lids that can not be recycled. The tops are made of a different sort of plastic and there is not a solution to recycling these yet, so they will just go to waste and complicate matters. Instead of recycling, another alternative for both paper and plastic is to burn it. Done right, burning either of these, and using the energy to create electricity or steam power is a better use than adding the material to a landfill.

Benefits

• It is obvious that recycling both plastic and paper is a good idea. Manufacturing packaging that is easy to recycle is also something to strive for. Packaging takes up one-third of all waste products, according to the Museum of Solid Waste and Energy, and half of this is paper, while only 16 percent is plastic. Making paper uses trees and creates air pollution, and making plastic uses oil, and plastic bags create four times more solid waste than paper bags, according to MSNBC. Reusable bags seem the best choice for grocery bags, and both plastic and paper containers will be around for a good long time.