Does paper beat plastic?

To the editor: Are paper grocery bags, made from a renewable resource, more environmentally friendly than plastic? According to Elizabeth Royte, author of Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash, “Virgin papermaking (from trees) is one of the most environmentally harmful industries on earth,” using valuable timber plus more water than any other U.S. industry, and contaminating that water with chlorinated dioxin and other hazardous substances. Making paper also is the third largest industry source of greenhouse gases and pollutes the air with, among other things, lead and mercury. Grocery bags can incorporate only some recycled paper; most of the material is from virgin paper. In landfills, paper bags do not decompose readily because they are not exposed to air and light. Paper bags are also bulkier and heavier, requiring more energy to ship and more landfill space. If you do choose paper bags, reuse them as often as possible, and when they come apart, recycle them, compost them in your own yard, or use them as a very effective weed barrier under mulch. An even more sustainable solution is to choose a sturdy canvas bag that can last for many years and be used hundreds (even thousands?) of times. My favorite is from the Union of Concerned Scientists—upright and just the right size—and its cost was partly a donation to a cause I support. If your own organization is looking for a fund raiser, you might consider selling canvas bags to help both your group and the environment. Mary Makofske Warwick Mary Makofske is a member of Sustainable Warwick, whose mission statement is: “Recognizing the mutual dependence between Warwick and the rest of the world, our purpose is to increase public understanding of sustainability by providing information and encouraging individuals, community organizations, businesses, schools, and government to cooperate in protecting environmental quality and reducing carbon emissions.”