There has been a lot of information disseminated recently about the use of plastic shopping bags and how stores should not use them any more. In an article published in The Lamp, an ExxonMobil publication, it states the following:
"The case for plastics packaging: Plastics have largely replaced glass, aluminum and paper as packaging material. That's because plastics are lighter -- which reduces transportation costs -- are less costly and are manufactured using less energy. Plastics also generate less air emissions, water pollutants and waste during manufacturing. Plastics provide toughness, excellent sealability and optical qualities, and consume far less material than glass, metal or paper containers.
"According to research by waste management consultants Franklin Associates, paper bags generate four times more greenhouse-gas emissions than plastic, and paper occupies more than nine times as much landfill space as plastics. Taken together, these advantages make plastics packaging a sensible choice for sustainable development."
-- Irma Schneider, Ventura