Paper or Plastic?

Here in Nutty Calif they just outlawed single use plastic bags. They mandated them way back when to save the forests. So I guess the forests no longer are in danger or being over harvested. Just like the toll bridge I use to cross daily they reduced the toll to encourage people to carpool to save gas and the environment. Then they stopped the lower toll because so many people were carpooling and they were losing money. Goes to show that the people in charge do not know how to handle what they think is a problem. And here in Calif it is run by Democrats and has been for years. We are slowing circling the drain in  the toilet and I hope to get out before the flush begins.

I've been offered a choice at Publix.

I consider myself an environmentalist, but the wackos who were so against cutting down trees always had it wrong.  Trees are a renewable resource, plastic not so much.  Tree products are generally biodegradable, plastic not so much.  Paper bags make cute hand puppets and funny costumes for kids, plastic bags pose a smothering risk.  The wackos always had it wrong.

Plastic can be carried by the wind and cause  all kinds of havoc, locally it degrades the price farmers get for their cotton yield. If nothing else it gets hung up in trees making for unsightly  landscape.

Yep, Publix has paper. I get them and re-use them over and over.

ALDI has paper bags @ 6 cents each--very sturdy ones.  They also offer a large plastic bag with handles for 10 cents.  It is strong and re-usable.

Paper bags, contrary to popular assumptions, do not degrade well in landfills owing the the lack of oxygen in the compacted soils and compacted organic matter within which they are buried. Plastic  bags can be and are tightly compressed in landfills. thus taking up less landfill space than paper bags.  This "volume reduction" is a desirable characteristic of landfill wastes, since it better maintains capacity for additional disposal.. That being said, it is better to dispose of paper bags through recycling rather than to place them in landfills.  This saves energy and reduces demand for pulp sourced from trees.  Also, as mentioned above, petroleum is the raw material for manufacturing of all plastics and it is legitimate to question the use of that non-renewable resource for making such things as one-use, disposable bags when a renewable resource, trees, can supply an acceptable alternative.

So---there are trade-offs to be considered, and there is no absolute  pat answer.

two things I like about plastic bags over paper :
1> paper bags for some reason tend to bring in roaches. Plastic ones don't

2> I can hang an entire grocery shopoping trip of plastic bags on my arms and bring it all in in one trip, can't do that with paper.

I would like to be offered the nice paper bags WITH HANDLES like we always see on TV/in movies.  Although, I have often wondered how they (the handles) didn't break if you had a heavy load.  Hmmm.... Still, I would like the option to at least try them. 

Aldi's has the best dime bag or nickel bag if you need paper for some reason.

I can never remember to bring the bag back in the store. I have several, dozen.

I like the plastic ones. I use them as garbage can liners in the bathroom. Have for years. They fit perfectly. 

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Obviously you are too young to know what a good "dime bag" or "nickel bag"  was.

I'm not too young to remember.