Truly Eco Friendly: Reusable Not Disposable Paper Bags

The resources of our world are not infinite, especially since our population is exploding in levels never before seen in human history. We all have to do our part to reduce, reuse and recycle whatever materials we have.

We have seen a lot of hate for disposable plastic bags lately, what with the recent initiatives to use paper bags instead. But did you know that there is a big difference reusable and disposable paper bags?

Why we fall in love with disposable bags

Go back to ancient times where baskets and containers were made by hand. It was hard work having to create just one container, which is why people took great pains to make their bags and baskets as durable as possible. This in turn led to people placing great value on these bags and containers; decorating and caring for them as valuable objects.

The problem with modern society is that we have lost the ability to value our containers. We no longer feel attached to the bags of today because they come free or cheap with every purchase we make. Mass production tends to do that. Count all the trips you’ve made to the grocery, to the mall and to other establishments. Now count all the bags they gave away and that you disposed of in the trash.

Imagine the amount of resources needed to create those bags you bought, along with the resources needed to properly dispose of them.

Paper is no better than plastic

Some people say that making the switch from plastic disposable bags to paper disposable bags will solve the problem. Paper decays faster than plastic and we need only use fast-growing trees on tree farms to create the paper bags. It can also be recycled or burned as fuel if not.

The problem here, however, is the fabrication of these paper bags.

Creating a durable, long-lasting paper bag that won’t rot or fall apart needs a lot of specialized machines and chemicals. These machines in turn eat up a lot of fuel while the chemicals will eventually be released into the earth’s environment one way or another. This process is made even more alarming by constant mass production of bags. We just keep churning out more and more bags since we dispose of them almost as fast we make them.

This is where reusability comes into the picture.

Reusability is the answer

A reusable bag makes all the difference whether you pick paper, plastic, cotton or jute as your preferred material of choice. Buy them once, bring them with you whenever you need them and take care of them as you would any of your personal belongings. Do this and you’ll help reduce the strain on our environment along with other folks who are conscientious enough to make an eco-friendly switch to reusables instead of disposables!