once again… paper or plastic? Reusable.

Today’s Wall Street Journal ran a great article on the pro’s and con’s of paper versus plastic. They made the decision we all understand, pick reusable. Even reusing a paper or plastic bag at least 4 times saves energy and lessens the load on the environment.

The article includes 6 international studies on this issue. The studies that look specifically at grocery bags generally conclude that paper bags produce less of a litter problem, but that plastic bags consume less energy and water and produce less pollution, including greenhouse-gas emissions. Virtually all studies say the environmentally friendliest option is to choose a reusable grocery bag, and to reuse it many times, regardless of what that bag is made of.

Did you know:

Hundreds of billions of plastic bags are dispensed each year creating a modern menace that often winds up nestled in trees, stuck in sewers and drifting in oceans.

Plastic bags are rarely recycled. The plastics industry says more than 90% of Americans reuse their bags at least once. But they are recycled at less than one-third the rate of paper bags, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Studies sponsored by independent retailers or governments generally agree that paper bags are less of a litter problem, but that plastic bags consume less water and energy and produce less pollution, including greenhouse-gas emissions.

Increasingly, cities and states seeking greener grocery stores are proposing taxes on all disposable bags. Seattle and Washington, D.C. are considering imposing fees on both paper and plastic bags.

Last Monday, June 8, a United Nations official called for outlawing plastic bags world-wide. Said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Program: “There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere.”

If your city does accept plastic bags in their recycling bins, they need for you to stuff a lot of bags inside one bag, sausage-like, to make the bags easier for recycling workers to handle. It’s what industry insiders call a “bag of bags.”

No matter what you choose, be aware. Make an informed decision. Our actions do make a difference.