Paper bags are only good for the environment when reused 43 times

Ocean, rivers and dumps are filled with plastic waste. Before the movement to abandon disposable plastic bags, many businesses changed to paper bags.

However, according to experts, using paper bags is not necessarily more environmentally friendly.

According to Channel news Asia, we need more resources to produce paper bags, but they risk being thrown into the trash faster, taking more space. Paper use is at risk of deforestation - one of the underlying causes of climate change.

Paper bags, if not reused, are more harmful to the environment than better plastic bags - (Photo: CNA).

In the eyes of recyclers, even if paper bags are 100% recyclable, once soiled (like food stains) they are discarded like regular waste and burned, like school. in Singapore.

Liow Chean Siang, head of environmental certification of the Singapore Environment Council, said: paper bags are heavier than plastic bags, in transportation, their weight increases carbon emissions into the environment.

Paper bags must be reused at least a few times to be more environmentally friendly than plastic bags. If used once and then discarded, its environmental impact is even greater.

According to the report "Life cycle assessment of bags" published by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency in 2019, ordinary plastic bags, disposable types at supermarkets "are the ones with the lowest environmental impact." even if they are not reused.

A paper bag needs to be reused up to 43 times to provide a net benefit to the environment , while a normal plastic bag if reused once has the same benefit.

However, reusing paper bags is not easy because they are easy to tear.

Some companies are proud to have turned to biodegradable paper products - products that break down by bacteria or living organisms. This is an environmentally friendly solution, but requires a biodegradable waste disposal facility.

Biodegradable paper decomposes under special conditions when mixed with other materials. If pushed to the landfill, they cannot decompose. Therefore, there is a need to handle this biodegradable paper bag, but in many countries there is no such facility.

The biodegradable thermoplastic (PLA) products as shown in the picture are environmentally friendly because they are biodegradable - (Image: CNA).

Meanwhile, paper cups or containers are actually covered with plastic, so they cannot be recycled or decomposed.

Biodegradable thermoplastic (PLA) products are a better solution, but because they are made from corn, cassava and sugar, without proper management policies, they can cause volatile volatility. food security when the earth's arable land is converted to these crops.

For businesses and individuals, the choice of good environmental action doesn't lie in switching from one material to another. We better restrict the types of disposable products. Use reusable products, or combine in the backpack we carry.

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