The discussion about “paper vs plastic bags” will keep continuing, especially since the increasing use of plastic is already massive and worrying. To decrease plastic waste, the use of paper bags has begun to be encouraged in many countries. They have many advantages. Here are some reasons to use them.
Paper bags are eco-friendly
Paper bags are biodegradable. It means paper bags can be decomposed in soil with the help of bacteria. It’s different from plastic bags that can take a thousand years to decompose.
Paper bags are one hundred percent recyclable because they don’t contain toxic and poisonous gas that plastic bags emit during recycling. They are reusable, and when they’re reused more than three times, the bags have significantly less ecosystem impact than plastic bags. Using paper bags and leaving plastic bags means saving nature from pollution. It also means saving sea animals like whale and sea turtle from eating plastic waste that could kill them.
Paper bags are fashionable
There are reasons why classy brands choose to use a paper bag instead of a plastic bag as their packaging. First of all, the bag is designed as good as possible and given out as merchandise with their brand logo stamped on it. Thus, it gives the impression of exclusivity and luxury, while also advertises the brand when the bag is reused.
Customization is a big part of the appeal, and customizing your paper bags are not a difficult task. You can print it, draw in it, and so on. That way, paper bags can look fashionable compared to the boring, plastic bag that you can’t customize.
You can make paper bags yourself
Not only customizing pre-existed paper bags, but you can also make the bag itself from scratch. Making a paper bag is easy, unlike a plastic bag. You might do not even need to spend a penny to make one. Use yesterday’s newspapers in home, gift wrapper, unused textbooks, any many more. Even if it required you to buy something, it wouldn’t be expensive. Use a scissor and glue and make your own creative paper bags.
Paper bags are sturdier and can hold more items
Both paper bags and plastic bags have the same basic design, but paper bags are sturdy. They provide a wider space for more items in the bag because of their rectangle structure. The sturdiness also allows them to be put without being worried that the content would be dropped.
Paper bags are also made of durable paper, which can carry more weight than a thin single-use plastic bag. You can iron them to make the paper bags look good again before reusing them. Meanwhile used plastic bags are usually badly wrinkled, and you can’t do anything about it.
Recycling and decomposing paper bags is easy
Recycling paper bags is not nearly time-consuming as recycling plastic bags. Plastic bags are hard to recycle, while the paper is easy. While paper bags might only take days to decompose right in your backyard, plastic bags might take 400 to 1000 years to decompose. While collecting compost in a paper bag, you can throw in all the compost and the paper bag in the soil. You can’t do the same thing to the plastic bag because it will only pollute the soil.
Above points are the advantages of using paper vs plastic bags. Plastic bags are a hazard to the ecosystem, and more people put a stop of their use. Paper bags are not only eco-friendly, but they give people a fashionable, durable, and creative alternative to a single-use plastic bag.