Like everything, nothing is as simple as it first might seem. In the debate about plastic bags I’d rather thought the simple solution might well be to just replace plastic bags with paper ones. Paper is easily biodegradable unlike many plastic bags. However Ziz’s comment on my article M&S to Charge 5p for Plastic Bags, wrote that paper bags are heavier and cost more to transport and store. So this set off on some research. Rachel Decker and Anders Graff in their paper Paper vs. Plastic Bags? for Lawrence University for me comes to an unexpected conclusion.

The making of paper can waste many thousands of gallons of water, as can the recycling of paper. The human and mechanical efforts and costs are very high, not forgetting the physical cost to loggers and those who work around the numerous chemicals. Plastic is, by comparison, efficient and low energy to produce, and, easily and efficiently recycled. Plastic reduces, recycles marvellously, and in that, is reused. After contrasting the efforts behind the making of paper and plastic, it is our unbiased opinion that plastic is indeed more beneficial to the environment, in that it is less harmful.

So, the problem isn’t plastic bags per-se but rather our laziness in not re-cycling them. Perhaps that’s where M&S should concentrate its efforts, then again maybe we should all use cloth, jute or straw bags like the ones our grandma used.

See, now I’m lost as to what the answer might be.