Post #4437956

2026-07-30 20:52 UTC

@noodlemaz@mstdn.games @donw@mastodon.coffee @inthehands@hachyderm.io the resources required to manufacture and ship a plastic grocery bag are much lower than for a paper bag or a cloth bag, so in some situations the plastic bag could be seen as more environmentally friendly. This argument does ignore the need for renewability in manufacture and the likelihood that the bag can actually be recycled into something useful.

Replies (2)

@donw@mastodon.coffee 2026-07-30 21:00

@Artemis201@mstdn.social @noodlemaz@mstdn.games @inthehands@hachyderm.io Well the whole comparison is predicated on “if used once and discarded.” Given what we now know about paper recycling I think the argument is even stronger. But sure, if you use it more than once to bring home groceries the calculus changes. But I don’t think he was off the mark on the assumption that most people don’t do any reuse whether it’s plastic or paper bags.

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@noodlemaz@mstdn.games 2026-07-30 21:07

@Artemis201@mstdn.social @donw@mastodon.coffee @inthehands@hachyderm.io also doesn't consider the environmental impact in terms of harm to wildlife - while the evidence is still being gathered on the harms of microplastics, we know that whole bags are swallowed by and suffocate animals. Fabric bags of natural fibres presumably don't tend to do that, if you have a tote you're more likely to keep it til it falls to pieces I'd guess?

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