According to National Geographic between 500 billion and a trillion plastic bags are consumed each year.
Next time you go to the store to buy something that’s probably already packaged in three layers of plastic make a different choice. Plastic bags are often not biodegradable and are usually made from petroleum. Also consider the energy used to produce these bags and ship them to the store.
So should I choose paper or plastic?
The best answer is None of the above.
Either refuse the bag if you can carry the items without it or bring your own bag. Many stores now sell reusable shopping bags but you can use any bag. I recommend the heavy cloth bags like ones they’ve been selling at Trader Joes for years. They are durable, will last a long time, you can wash them and best of all you won’t have to worry about a flimsy plastic or paper bag ripping and spilling your groceries all over the place.
If all else fails choose paper over plastic. Although energy is consumed logging, milling the paper and transporting it to the store it is a natural and renewable product.