Bags: Paper or plastic... or neither?

We all know plastic bags are better than paper bags. They are light-weight, can be compacted, are water-proof, and are durable. What's more, the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Analysis found that plastic bags beat paper in terms of energy and pollution. But there are plenty of other issues with plastic bags. They stick around for a long time, and they're made from oil. Check out this quote:

to make 100 billion plastic checkout bags per year, which is how many we use in the U.S. each year, it takes 12 million barrels of oil. No oil is used to produce recycled paper checkout bags

Overwhelmed with the choice of which to use? I say, don't use either... use a reusable bag! You might not have a choice soon, anyway. Cities and stores are beginning to ban the spawn of oil... I mean, plastic bags.

Fear not! Most stores than ban plastic bags sell reusable ones. Trader Joe's has quite a selection of handy sacks that can be used an untold number of times. My favorite is a trusty backpack. Sure, I've gotten weird stares from security guards, but cashiers reactions are priceless. Some seem shocked that I wouldn't take a free plastic bag. I do my best to educate them, but you can only teaching the willing, usually. You could even pick up a trendy and over-priced "I am not a plastic bag" bag.

Oh, and one last thing. Don't throw away those bags tucked into every cabinet in your kitchen. Check out some fun and exciting things you can do with plastic bags!

Image: http://treehugger.com/