Studies show edge of paper vs. plastic

Marni Pyke's exposé about the virtue of paper bags versus plastic or reusable grocery bags offers an objective look at the disposal of non-biodegradable bags.

However, she glosses over additional details that all prudent consumers and environmentally sensitive citizens should understand to get the whole story.

First, from a cost perspective, plastic bags are better: A standard plastic grocery bag costs about a penny to produce, compared with 4 to 5 cents for a paper bag.

In addition, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, four times as much energy is required to produce paper bags and 85 times as much energy is required to recycle paper bags.

EPA has determined that paper bags generate 70 percent more air pollutants and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags.

Plastic shopping bags can be reused and recycled multiple times as a feedstock for the burgeoning American plastics recycling industry, which is creating new jobs in a $2 billion marketplace for sustainable products.

The New York Times carried the gist of this story to millions of readers on April Fool's Day 2007.

Urban municipalities from California to New York to Illinois, however, have elected to ignore the fiscal and environmental dynamics and have become willing pawns for policy tomfoolery in 2008.

Ralph W. Conner

The Heartland Institute

Chicago