What are plastic bags made out of?
What’s better—paper or plastic bags?
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Just about everything can be recycled, but recycling becomes less likely as the cost of doing it goes up. Demand for bags is low because they offer a low payoff by volume, and contamination—scraps of food, paper, and other trash—corrupts the recycling process, making it more costly for processors.
So wait—does the city recycle any plastic stuff? My water bottles and milk jugs?
If consumers are going to pay for higher-quality, reusable bags, why not make them out of a material that causes less harm to produce and will last longer? That said, some stores sell reusable bags made out of recycled plastic, and many fit into your pocket to make carrying them around easier.
Other places have banned plastic bags. Why don’t we?
