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Paper or Plastic? Can We Answer the Question?

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Paper or Plastic? Can We Answer the Question?
Diego Rodrigues Mendes Alves Course: Paper or plastic Paper or Plastic? Can we answer the question? Why should we be worried about the kind of bag we use to carry our purchases? We have to make so many decisions when we are shopping that we should not have to be worried about how we will carry our things home. However, if you want to help the environment and our society to decrease the wasting of materials and pollutants, and as a consequence improve our quality of life, you should be concerned about the kind of bag you are using. According to the Plastic Industry Trade Association, the plastic bag was introduced to the market in 1957. In 1966 plastic arrived in grocery stores and at the end of 1996 four out of five grocery bags were plastic. After 56 years, plastic bags are in almost every grocery store, supermarket, restaurant, diner, shoe, clothing store and every department of stores that we have available in our society. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the United Sates of America every year. Yet, a traditional family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store. How about paper bags? According to Forum Garden, the paper bag was invented in 1860. In 1869, the Union Company of Pennsylvania developed a better paper bag machine (Forum Garden). From that era, paper bags were used to carry groceries and small things. Of course, the consumption of goods in that time was very little compared with today. Plastic took over the market right after its invention and since 1966 plastic bags are the main bag used worldwide. Why? In the marketplace, what is less expensive usually reigns as businesses look to cut costs and this case was not an exception. Companies spend less money making and using plastic bags than paper bags. But most of the time, our society is not concerned about which one has been used for two main reasons. First, people just need bags to put their


Cited: "Reusable Bags by Envirosax."Dangers of Plastic Bags. Bellouco Pty Ltd, n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. "MTU Tech Alive Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum."MTU Tech Alive Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum. Michigan Environmental Education Curriculum, n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. John , Roach. "Are Plastic Grocery Bags Sacking the Environment?."National Geographic News. (2013) n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. "FFBD Environmental Issues."SPI. The Plastic Industry Association, n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. "Plastic Bag Consumption Facts | ConservingNow.com."Plastic Bag Consumption Facts | ConservingNow.com. Conserving Now, n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. "US Environmental Protection Agency."EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. "Thread: The History Of Paper Bags."ForumGarden RSS. Forum Garden Conversation, 25 Jan. 2006. Web. 23 June 2013. "Paper Bag Facts."Paper Bag Facts. Renewable Bags Council, n.d. Web. 23 June 2013. "All About Bags - Paper Versus Plastic Bag Studies."All About Bags - Paper Versus Plastic Bag Studies. Canadian Plastics Industry Association., n.d. Web. 23 June 2013.
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