The World in 2030

The World in 2030 161
are cheap, light and durable, these same qualities become
distinct drawbacks when they are disposed of thoughtlessly.
Some countries have banned plastic shopping bags, others
have taxed them and some retail companies have taken
matters into their own hands and produced durable, reusable
bags.
But it is by no means clear that plastic bags per se are bad
(although careless disposal certainly is). In 1990 the American
Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Protection produced a
report which examined the environmental impact of both
plastic and paper shopping bags. The report stated:
Plastic bags, having less mass than paper, produce less
solid waste. At current recycling rates two plastic bags
produces 14 g of solid waste while one paper creates
50 g. Two plastic bags produce 72 per cent less solid
waste than their paper bag equivalent. As the recycling
rate increases, postconsumer waste decreases accordingly,
so if 25 per cent more bags are recycled, the
solid waste decreases by 25 per cent. Every recycled
bag avoids contributing to postconsumer solid waste.
However when recycling rates increase, pre-consumer
solid waste increases for plastic though it decreases for
paper. Still because paper creates substantially greater
quantities of solid waste, two plastic bags never surpass
a third of the solid waste from one paper bag. 314
Using biodegradable plastics to make shopping bags may
provide a useful alternative and the American plastics services
and sales website Plastemart.com makes the following
observation: