Paper or Plastic?

It is quite often the case that Colorado Recycles is asked to render an opinion with respect to which material is "better" than some other material. Over the more than twenty-five years that Colorado Recycles has been researching recycling activities and options, we have attempted to refrain from making such judgments. It is a fundamental and core value of Colorado Recycles that objective research that presents reliable factual information to the public will lead to informed choices and the appropriate uses of materials.

There is also the likelihood that a product or material that is not currently the subject of a defined recycling program or technology may well be in the near future. In addition to promoting existing recycling options, Colorado Recycles advocates for the development of new technologies, increased logistical system efficiencies and new products. Recycling technology advances and evolves just as any other technology, and Colorado Recycles believes in taking the long term view rather than focusing too narrowly on what may be current practice.

When presented with the question "Which is better? Paper or Plastic?" Colorado Recycles responds that each material has positive attributes and each has characteristics which preclude it from being considered the absolute, unequivocal superior of the other. Each may be appropriate when consideration is given to the purpose to which the bag will be used, and how easily it can be recycled. In some communities, the recycling system to collect plastic bags may not have been established but the system for recycling brown paper bags may have been in place for several years.

No matter which material is being considered, the equation begins with one simple fact. Consumers need something in which they can transport the goods that they have purchased. A cursory search on the Internet will result in many, many statistics concerning the production and life cycles of each product. Each product is manufactured, which means that each is produced in a factory environment that uses energy and leaves a certain amount of waste as a by-product of the process. Each must be packaged and transported. It can be debated which life cycle uses more or less energy or other resources.

At the end of their primary use, each can be reused and each can be recycled. Each has value as feedstock for the manufacturing of other products.

Colorado Recycles' conclusions and recommendations:

1. As a consumer or a retailer, begin with an informed decision as to which product should be used for the purposes intended. If a plastic bag is the better product, then use it. If a paper bag is better for the use, then use it. If a reusable bag can be provided or used, then integrate it into the mix of options.

2. Unless the bag is damaged or contaminated by the materials that it contained, do not simply discard it following a single use. Reuse the bag as often as its strength and durability will allow.

3. Avoid keeping and storing either type of bag for long periods of time. Plastic bags, particularly those used for dry cleaning and laundry, are a potential safety hazard for small children and pets. Paper bags, newspapers, and cardboard boxes can become the home and nesting places for various pests such as cockroaches. As a good rule of thumb, do not allow such materials to accumulate in your home or business.

4. When the bag can no longer be used, recycle it. Colorado Recycles sponsors two statewide recycling guides that list recycling resources that are available. There is a comprehensive statewide recycling guide which has information on 50 separate materials and products that is accessible from the Colorado Recycles home page at www.colorado-recycles.org. That guide has information for both plastic bag recycling and brown paper bag recycling. As part of the creation of this special web site, Colorado Recycles has developed a quick access recycling guide for plastic bags only. That guide is accessible through the menu link at the top of each page on this web site.

Please remember that one of the most consistent and biggest impediments to effective recycling is material contamination. Whether you are recycling a plastic bag or a paper bag please make sure that the bag is clean and dry before depositing it in a recycling bin. A bag contaminated with food residue may contaminate the entire recycling bin.

5. Community groups, retailers and local governments should increase the availability of plastic bag recycling containers and make them easily accessible to the public. Research into recycling behavior patterns consistently demonstrate that consumer convenience is one of the most important factors in securing a commitment to recycling. It is one of the fundamental reasons that curbside recycling programs are superior to drop off recycling programs, although both are important to the logistical system. And, it is why single stream and mixed stream recycling systems are more productive than systems that require the consumer to sort the materials.

Two of the attributes of plastic bags make them easily recyclable. They are light weight, and they compact easily making it very easy to store and ship large quantities. Moreover, the containers require very little monitoring and virtually no clean up since the bags seldom cause spills or other problems that need attention. The containers are not obtrusive or large and they can be placed in a wide variety of locations that are convenient for the consuming public.

Placing the containers is important, but it is equally important that the consuming public know that the container is available. Signs or other information should be prominent so that the consumer needs little or no guidance to locate the container and take advantage of it. In addition to providing consumers directions to find the container, the signs can also provide information useful to the consumer such as making sure that the bags are dry and clean.

All groups and entities that establish plastic bag recycling drop off containers should work together to accept all bags without regard to store names, logos or other proprietary information, and they should work cooperatively to aggregate the bags for shipping to a manufacturer that will use them in the production of new products.