| The recent focus in the media over the evilness | | | | seven trucks to deliver paper bags as compared |
| of plastic bags has caused State and Local | | | | to one truck for plastic bags. Not only is this an |
| governments to pass numerous laws on the use | | | | energy saver but it's all highly productive which |
| of plastic merchandise bags. The question the | | | | benefits everyone. |
| media should be asking is have they done a | | | | 4) Paper bags buried in a landfill degrade at a |
| disservice to the American people and have the | | | | snails pace and studies have shown that if buried |
| actions by the media actually harmed the | | | | deep it would take hundreds of years to degrade. |
| environment more? | | | | While plastic bags have their faults and can be a |
| Lets rationally compare: | | | | problem if not recycled properly they are by far |
| 1) The energy required to manufacture plastic | | | | less damaging to the environment than paper |
| bags is 25% of that of paper bags. This is a little | | | | bags. The media negative obsession with plastic |
| known fact that is basically hidden from the public. | | | | bags is interesting and is possibly tied to the |
| Many rivers are polluted due to the manufacturing | | | | powerful paper companies. Companies that many |
| of paper bags which generate 50 times more | | | | of that same media purchase from. These huge |
| water pollution and 70% more air pollution. | | | | paper companies also have tremendous political |
| 2) It takes 91% less energy to recycle plastic | | | | influence and have strong lobbyists. Facts are then |
| bags than paper bags. Recycling of plastic has | | | | twisted and backed by the media wrongly |
| become widespread and is continuing to grow, so | | | | convincing the public. This results in unreasonable |
| this energy savings has become more important. | | | | laws which ultimately harm the environment. The |
| 3) Plastic bags are 90% thinner than paper bags | | | | emotional reactions people have on this subject |
| (seven times the volume), thus reducing landfill | | | | due to the media need to be changed. Once the |
| volume. With landfills closing due to maximum | | | | facts are presented to the public, the game of |
| capacity being reached, saving space is certainly a | | | | making once side environmentally evil verses the |
| benefit to municipal governments and taxpayers. | | | | other side will change. |
| To look at this is a different way, it would take | | | | |