More Green Living -- Trash Can Liners: Paper or Plastic?

I sent an e-mail to Elenor Hodges, moderator of Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment, asking about the environmental usefulness of recycling plastic grocery bags as trash bags. We currently use grocery bags as trash bags both to recycle and to save money on buying bags at the store. Here is her educated response:

Thanks for your e-mail. I’m glad you’re thinking about these issues. The best thing you can do is what you’re already doing – reusing other bags instead of buying new ones. Have you considered asking some friends or neighbors you see frequently to save bags for you?

With bags, there’s not a clear “best” environmental choice. Since we burn our trash in Arlington, biodegradable bags aren’t ever outside to degrade. There are also some environmental issues with these bags: (see [this link] for some information on this.) Some people say plastic bags are a better choice than paper bags because they take less energy to produce but most environmentalists say either choice has problems.

The reusablebags.com web site has lots of information on issues related to bags that you may find interesting: http://www.reusablebags.com/facts.php.

Let me know if I can be of further assistance.

Very cool!