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Consumers require bags in which to carry their goods from the purchasing point to their homes or offices or other destinations. It's what the bags are made of that has become a point of debate among the environmentally concerned.

The most obvious example of this argument takes place at the supermarket. You, the consumer, are asked if you want your goods placed in paper bags, or plastic ones. The choice has an environmental impact. The question is which option does the least damage.

Paper bags are easily recycled. They are biodegradable. If left in a landfill, a paper bag will disintegrate; its organic components composting back into the earth. Paper is, after all, pulverized wood.

But this seemingly innocuous product has its dark side. Producing paper bags requires the death of trees, the environmentalists' favorite plant. This depletion of a natural resource can be offset if the manufacturer replaces the trees it uses, but the waste and pollution created by the manufacturing process remains.

Plastic bags do not deplete natural resources, nor is the manufacturing process quite as detrimental. It takes less energy to produce petroleum based plastic bags than it does paper bags.

But plastic bags wreak havoc on the earth when left to languish in landfills. Their chemicals leech into the earth, and do so for a considerable amount of time. Being petroleum based, plastic bags also give off gases over time that contributes to global warming.

A non-petroleum, degradable plastic bag could prove to be the more environmentally correct choice between paper and plastic.

An increasingly popular alternative is the cloth or canvas bag. Reusability is their most attractive feature; there is virtually no waste or product to dispose of. The manufacture of totes and similar bags is no less threatening than other fabric based manufacturing, and the materials used can be natural fabrics such as cotton or canvas.

The drawback to these bags is their limited capacity. A week's worth of groceries will not fit into a typical tote. If a trip to the mall yields more than a pair of shoes and a sweater, the average carryall will not carry it all.

So what is the environmentally conscientious consumer to do? Use a tote when picking up a few items. Be diligent in this by keeping one in the car for just such occasions. When choosing plastic, take advantage of local recycling bins that accept plastic bags and make the effort to get them in there. If not, use them for school lunches, storage of small items, lining wastebaskets, or cleaning up after the dog. When paper bags are used, recycle them, use them for craft projects with the kids, or shred them and put them in the compost heap.

The choices made by consumers today will have an impact on the environment for decades, and centuries, to come. Make choices based on impact from manufacturing, reusability and recycability of the product, and the impact of disposal on the environment.

Learn more about this author, Shelly Mcrae.
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