Which bag is more eco-friendly - Paper or Plastic? The answer is neither. Plastic bags end up mostly in landfills and a break down into toxic particles resulting in environmental degradation. Being light in weight, they fly away from the garbage dump with a sudden blow of wind and end up in drainage canals and water bodies. While the drains get choked, the sea mammals mistake plastic for food and choke themselves to death.

Paper bags, on the other hand, are not as hazardous as plastic bags but when it comes to environment conservation, paper bags are not eco friendly. If paper bags were to replace plastic bags, it would have resulted in the cutting down of lots and lots of trees. Also, the production process of these bags results in the emission of high volumes of greenhouse gases. Further, paper bags are not as durable as plastic bags. They are not able to endure wear and tear as much as plastic bags. Exposure to water makes them even weaker and they tend to tear away.

The shoppers need bags that are eco-friendly, durable and light in weight. Be it plastic or paper bags, they fall short in these respects. Hence, the use of these bags needs to be discouraged. A good way of restricting usage of plastic bags is to introduce taxation. The Irish government imposed taxation (named PlasTax) of 15 cents per plastic bag which brought down its usage by over 90%. Similar steps can heavily curb the usage of plastic bags.

A better way of doing away with paper or plastic bags is to use more and more reusable bags. These bags are made with non-woven polypropylene that is not only recyclable but also water repellent and durable. It complies with FDA regulations and does not contain toxic particles. Hence, opt for shopping bags that are reusable.