January 19, 2006

  • The Environment Part 2

    I like for us to always look at issues and see the practical outworking of those issues. It is one thing to talk about the environment but it is another to do something about it.

    Paper or Plastic?

Comments (134)

  • 1st

  • plastic!

    my work uses plastic bags that are a lot stronger, so therefore u use less of them and they are reusable and all…

    so they end up being pretty cool.

  • None.  I do all my shopping at wholesale clubs.

  • plastic

  • I prefer plastic even though I know paper is better.

  • But then…hey, I drive two SUV’s.

  • Plastic! Always plastic for me. Do any stores even offer paper anymore?

  • Paper, it returns to nature eventually and completed its cycle. I prefer plastic though, it is just easier to carry and save.

  • Either.  Making paper doesn’t cost that many trees.  True, it would help if we cut down on paper manufactoring to cut down on the loss of trees, but then again, I’m not a tree hugger, so my opinion may not matter as much.

  • plastic.  I’m all about the enviroment and yet I dont recycle.  Bleh, I suck… with all the pop I drink I could recycle so much… maybe someday when I have my own place?  and recycling becuase a more commen thing.

  • Plastic…I don’t let environmentalism influence most of my decisions. I think there is a much too high priority placed on earth and nature conservation. Trust me, the world won’t be destroyed by our carelessness, well carelessness in environmental conservation at least…

    -Jared

  • Eh… I cannot lie…plastic… but I did report a litter bug the other day… got his license plate and everything. Threw out a McDonalds cup right in front of probably….10 cars of people dropping their kids off, and threw it right onto the school lawn…. idiot.

  • paper, it makes better masks for ugly people

  • 14th!!! super lucky!!!! 

  • paper paper paper!

  • Definitley plastic! Its  Dantastic!!! hahaha errr fanatastic.  Its just quicker to just use plastic……… and its cheaper

  • RYC: Awww…thanks! *bats them at you*

  • Neither is really that good for the environment, but I’ll probably get whatever is cheaper or more efficient.  I wish we were not a capatalist society at times.  Ok, most of the time.

  • Neither. They both destroy the environment. However, since I work at a grocery store, and know that paper costs the company more money and that plastic is easier for me to sack in, I say plastic.

  • but i like plastic? hm….well my fiance is a naturalist so paper.

  • the only place I know of that says that anymore is Whole Foods, and I always tell them paper, cause it’s made from recycled stuff anyway.
    the big issue is, of course, from whence comes the energy used both to recycle old paper and to produce plastic bags? COAL! eww.. unless you’re Whole Foods, or the Silk Soy company, which both use wind power! Yay!

  • Oh dear… I usually don’t have the option, so I do plastic. And then reuse it for trash bags in small trash cans!

  • Paper…

    Plastic…

    Paper…

    Plaster…

    Doesn’t matter.

  • Plastic.

  • paper. definately.

  • I had a customer that thought I was talking about terms of payment when I asked paper or plastic.  They thought I meant paper money or plastic money?……….. lol……….

  • pretty soon, paper money will not exist . . everything will be digital . .all numbers in a computer . . . everything

  • Plastic…I like to reuse them as trash bags.

  • RYC: thanks oops, I guess i will take it off. I was just freaked out.That has never happened to me before.

  • I’m a paper girl!!

    Love, Candy

  • i prefer plastic cause it’s so much easier to carry all my groceries up at once… i’m one of those that has to pick up everything on one trip… even though paper is more environmentally friendly than plastic… i’m horrible…  =/ 
        

  • plastic, cause then i re-use them as trash bags. or else u can take them back to dillions, and they’ll give u some cents. (at least they used to)

  • plastic…as long as someday i remember to take it back for recycling – you know the big green bins in the front of the store…for now, they are piling up in the garage…

  • Do they still give you a choice?

  • plastics

  • I do plastic and reuse them.

  • I got nothin’, but…  :::panic:::

  • plastic paper

  • Plastic! cause you can carry more plastic bags in one trip than you can paper bags

  • We always get plastic but that’s because a lot of markets that I go to don’t carry much paper bags, but I prefer paper.

  • we use some of each.  Oh and Kevin is right about the money thing!

    Tim

  • Plastic.  I reuse them again and again, and what I don’t use I give to the local St. Vinny’s. :)

  • plastic, i reuse the bags as trash bags so at least im not polluting as much as i could. but honestly in our society you will contribute to pollution in one way or another.

  • plastic

  • plastic.  ::wince::  I use the baggies for things.

  • my back pack, or shopping bins that we keep in the car.

  • Would it help if I’m BIsackual?

  • Plastic.

  • i don’t really think the issue is that simple

    both tend to harm the environment

  • Plastic.

    1. I reuse the plastic bags, mainly to hold poop when I clean out the cats’ litter  boxes.

    2. Our apartment complex recycles, and one of the things we can recycle is 1 & 2 plastics, which includes grocery plastic bags.

  • The one that is most likely not to break when you’re carrying your groceries out of Food Lion, thank you very much.

    Thank you for the congratulations, Dan!

    :D

    ~Caroline~

  • Thanks…I’m alright. Still here, so I guess that’s a good sign.

  • I don’t think to ask, and if they ask me I usually say it doesn’t matter. I do like paper better, though. Plastic usually breaks. And paper is so old school.

    …Yeah.

  • plastic

  • Both can be recycled.

    ((( GRANDMA HUGS )))

    Lori

  • “If you love trees, try using plastic toilet paper.”
    Overall, I don’t care.

  • Both are recyclable, as long as people take part in getting them to the proper recycling facilities. Plastic is easier to carry.

  • They are both re-usable (to an extent) and recycleable, so I choose plastic because it’s more practical for my needs.

  • Both. We are all going to die soon, might as well use what we got here.

  • That shouldn’t be an environnmental issue, but on personal preference…???…

  • Plastic

  • plastic. i recycle them!

  • Plastic if you are going to reuse it…if not…recycle it

    Paper, it degrades easier, faster, better….can be recycled too but on the other hand that is what is using the depleteing amount of trees

    Then again, the factories that make plastic is what is polluting our air and water and using more land preventing new trees from growing

    HUH  Pros AND Cons to both sides

    Paper?  Plastic?  How About Sturdy Cotton Hand Bags for your groceries, and glass bowls for your tupperware. 

  • I prefer plastic although I know paper is better.

  • Definitely paper… it burns better, and it’s much better for the ozone.

  • It’s obvious that we in the U.S. don’t practice it as much as we could or should.  Living in Europe reinstates that fact.  They just do it, nobody has to tell them to. 

    I’m embarrassed by our country really.

  • paper because then I can use them for kitty litter and its easir and the bag doesnt fall apart… as easily.

  • Neither, unless they are completely reusable. Nowadays, when I am at a grocery store, I bring my own bags. It’s so annoying to come home with yet another plastic or paper bag to have it crop up in the cupboards. It’s a waste of space and for the environment.

    Of course, each element has an appropriate context of use.

  • plastic because mommy uses the bags to pick up my poop. woof!

  • Sorry, I always use plastic.  I can carry more bags into the house in one trip that way.

  • I have cotton bags but plastic is recycled too.

    With a family of 7 and a 400.00 market bill paper is not the way to go.

  • What does this have to do with theology?

  • 73rd! Plastic.

  • plastic. environmentalists are silly anyways. there are MORE trees now than there were 100 years ago!

  • and factories produce a lot of CO2, which is what plants use for photosynthesis. so once again, chalk it up to silly environmentalists! companies get fined very heavily for being caught dumping chemicals, and it’s pretty easy to see in the rare occasion that it happens.

  • After a load of oranges rolled down the street, in the rain, after coming from Central Market, here in downtown Lancaster, OOOOHHHHHH Yessss, Plastic. Unless I remember to bring the canvass bag to haul the fruits and veggies…

  • cloth.

  • Paper AND plastic.  That’s what I always say to bagger at the supermarket.  I have uses for both of those after I get home.  I sort various teaching materials into paper bags and keep them in my van.  I often use paper bags as “trash cans” and put the plastic inside as liners.  If the bagger doesn’t ask, I ask if I can have a bunch of paper bags to take home anyways.

  • Ooops was this a question about the environment?  I never think about that when I someone says “paper or plastic”.

  • Speaking of Paper of Plastic, I worked at the local supermarket for 3 years. Bagging groceries for customers. Most customers asked for plastic or didn’t have a preference so I gave them plastic just cause it was easier to do. Then there were customers who asked for double plastic, or double paper which pissed me off. Then there was the Paper inside Plastic technique, also hated. Plastic for me all the way…

  • Plastic unless we need paper bags at home for putting our paper recycling in…

    Certainly your implication is that that paper is better environmentally than plastic; is it and if so why? We recycle the plastic bags.

    For those of you that chose one over the other…do you air condition your house? That uses much more energy for something that most people do not need. When I lived in LA. we would turn the AC on only after going to bed. The breezes kept it cool enough during the day. In fact my junior high had no AC. It was very, very hot in August and May!

  • I don’t paper has ever been available in Australia.

    Although they now sell these handy-dandy reusable bags which come in handy for pretty much everything.

  • I believe in being responsible with the environment, but deciding to use paper or plastic at the grocery store seems like an insignificant choice to me.

  • Paper is so much more useful than plastic if you’re a writer. Sorry, just my opinion.
    God bless,
    Shohna

  • Kill a tree or choke a fish? Hmmm…If you reuse the platic, paper, but hardly nobody does. I say, canvas. They sell those canvas reusable bags that actually get reused. Plastic takes longer to decompose and just gets tossed out or stuffed in a cupboard wherein more plastic gets used…Paper takes less time to decompose and kill our oxygen supply. Tough choice. My vote remains with the canvas.

  • Neither!  Bring your own cloth and/or mesh bags to use!

  • Paper. It’s biodegradable in under 500 years…

  • Plastic. If I get paper it hurts my fingers. When I get plastic I can carry up to 20 bags at a time and it’s 1 load and im done. No more walking for me :)

    ( Haha, new entry )
    Hey, I was wondering. Do you like Photography/Art? Well if you want to see some photography come check out my page. I look forward to people looking at it. I really like the reaction.

    Well thanks again and sorry if I bothered you. By the way I like the colors of your site. Pretty neat looking.

  • Plastic, but I allways recycle them

  • I would choose plastic to use for trash bags, and paper so that you can use as a bag to give gifts. Or visa-versa hehe!

    Love in Christ,

    Paul

  • Plastic

  • Hey Dan, do you know why they always ask you “Paper or plastic?” at the grocery stores?

    It’s because “Baggers can’t be choosers!”

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHOHOHEHEHEHEHEHE….heh.

  • Ideally, neither. Whole Foods and other stores will pay you a nickel for each bag you bring in and reuse.

    I sometimes take used bags to the store, but many times I don’t, and then I chose plastic because the plastic bags are useful for picking up dog poop and lining small trash bins, etc. And you can recycle them.

  • It doesn’t matter if you’re not going to reuse or recycle them.  Each takes up about an equal amount of space in a landfill, neither degrades in a landfill, and each requires some amount of finite natural resources to create.

    I’m for a) not getting a bag when I don’t need it; or b) reusing my cloth and/or plastic bags.  Most grocery stores will give you between 2-5 cents off for each bag you reuse.  Over a year that could be a savings of $12-$13.  That and you don’t have an obscene accumulation of bags in your kitchen.

  • I always get plastic…bad bad I know.

  • Plastic is easier to store.  Paper is so much more…square!  I prefer paper but rarely get it because plastic is automatic these days.  I dont’ know enough about what happens to plastic bags to say if they are bad or not.  I just know I have way too much of it…

  • plastic

  • My mom always gets paper and the poor guy bagged the groceries will sigh and reach down to grab the paper bags.  It does seem a little more complicated to fit stuff into paper.  I’m a plastic girl because I have trained myself to wrap my fingers around every bag to make only one trip up the stairs to my apartment.  I always save them to reuse too…

  • plastic

  • I like plastic, myself.

  • The stores I shop at dont even offer the opition anymore! So, I’m stuck with plastic…

    RYC: Thank you, Dan! Hope you have a nice weekend.

  • I prefer plastic … I know that is prolly bad …

  • It depends. Paper bags are usually bigger and can carry more(I like), but plastic bags make good garbage bags for small trash cans.

  • canvas. sometimes cardboard. usually, nothing.

  • Outworking? Is that one of those concocted politically correct words?

    I like to have both kinds with absolutely no thought for environmental impact. Since I am usually offered no choice and wind up with plastic, I ask for paper whenever aked.

    I like paper because they stay open when you are trying to put stuff in them, but plastic is better for durability. I use two plastics – one inside the other – to contain heavy or jagged items and with two thicknesses, the last for months. Single thicknesses won’t work though. It is one of those things where the total is greater than the sum of the parts – you know?

    L,r

  • Plastic, unless we need some bags for burn trash.  Then we get paper.

  • plastic

  • paper

  • Either way, recycle

  • canvas

  • I use plastic…but in my defense I reuse the bags.

  • I once came home with paper and found a cockroach in the bag. So now I only choose plastic. But then I take them to recycling centers.

  • Neither how about cloth bags to shop. Judi

  • i hate it that we kill all those beautiful trees to make paper… but plastic doesn’t help. it isn’t biodegratable so yeah that’s bad. so PAPER!!

  • plastic

  • Paper.  reusable and recyclable.  although I do reuse plastic store bags to line my garbage cans at home…that way at least they get used twice before being tossed. 

  • Paper!!

    Plastic is retarded.

    Nicholas

  • plasticcccccc

  • I use both. Sad story: I am environmentally concious, but this still made me freak out- last time I was at the market instead of saying ‘paper or plastic’ the guy bagging my groceries said ‘kill a tree or choke a fish?’ Depressing and funny at once

  • i dont think they even ofer paper lol paper all the way man

  • lol paper all the way

  • plastic cuz its easier to caryy and i use the bags when Im done for other things

  • Plastic, they last longer and use less trees than paper.

  • I think condiment packets are a waste of plastic. We just open it, use what’s inside, and throw the packets in the trash.

  • Paper! I mean, its sooo…. old fashion. If you get paper then uhm you got real service to me!

  • I guess it depends on how many plastic bags I currently have (i use them as garbage bags) so if I have too many plastic ones I recycle the paper bags, or use them to wrap packages :D

  • plastic

  • Neither! Bring your own cloth bags and recycle every time you go to the supermarket! It’s a wonderful concept, really it is!

  • neither. i bring cloth bags.

  • I just happened across your site while I was borde… I think your name decieves the site considering that your question concerns plastic and paper…

    I mean I don’t want to be a smartass but:

    Theologian

    n : someone who is learned in theology or who speculates about theology (especially Christian theology)

    the·ol·o·gy (th – l -j )
    n. pl. the·ol·o·gies

    <LI class=MsoNormal style=”MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in”>The study of the nature of God and religious truth; rational inquiry into religious questions.
    <LI class=MsoNormal style=”MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in”>A system or school of opinions concerning God and religious questions: Protestant theology; Jewish theology.
    <LI class=MsoNormal style=”MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; COLOR: black; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in”>A course of specialized religious study usually at a college or seminary.
    So until this question of paper or plastic can be explain in some form of religous sense I think you have missed you mark.  Either that or dictionary.com does a very poor job of defining words…
     
    But while I’m at it.
     
    I ussually do not even care to notice.  Super 1 uses paper still… and I feel that in sense that my groceries are better organized and protected when they are in paper… although this could be a superficial feeling becuase this has not yet been tested or proven.  On the other hand I can carry 4-8 bags, depending on content, if they are plastic.  Once again though this leans towards the apathy that favors over-weight America.  So if I could change supermarkets to make them not only more biologically healthy for the Earth but also an improvement to America’s general health, I would require only paper.

  • or

  • Plastic.

  • I would use paper but I dont. I hardly do. Its so much harder to carry and Wal-mart doesnt offer it. Hahaha, and I shop 10/2 over any other grocery store. However, I do reuse plastic grocery bags, heck, any plastic bag that can fit over my trashcans. So, I guess I’m doing my part in helping?

  • both can be recycled so, either or.

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