What Bag Should You Use?

English Day - 29 April 2021

Grocery bags today come in a variety of plastic, paper, and cotton bags. From all the news and go-green activism in media, we know plastic bags are harmful to the environment. But why exactly? Let’s see how the production and use of these bags impact the environment by analyzing its carbon footprints, how it’s reuse and recycle, and lastly its degradability.

 

Carbon Footprint

Plastic bags we often see in grocery stores and our homes are made of polyethylene or also known as HDPE. Its production takes quite a lot of steps and includes a lot of parties. The whole process emits an estimated 1.6 kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Moreover, Paper bags are made of wood. Its production results in high demands for wood and removing trees from their ecosystem. One paper bag is estimated to emit 5.5 kg of carbon dioxide. Furthermore, Cotton production is a water-intensive process. A single cotton bag is estimated to emit 272 kg of carbon dioxide. Thus, looking at their carbon footprints alone, plastic bags produce the least amount of carbon dioxide while cotton bags produce the highest.

 

Reuse and Recycle

Environmental impact does not depend on carbon footprints alone. It is also based on how it is used. The number of times that a bag is used will decrease demand for new production. Reusing and recycling can offset their carbon footprint. If a paper bag is a reuse 3 times, the total of their carbon footprints is lower than a single plastic bag. While cotton bags’ carbon footprints will be lower than one plastic bag if it is used 131 times. Cotton bags are most likely to be reuse since paper bags are easily torn and while plastic bags are durable, they are often thrown away after a single-use.

 

Degradability

Plastic bags are heat resistant and hard to decompose. It takes 500 years or more for plastic bags to decompose. Even if 500 years have passed, plastic does not decompose completely. They become microplastics that are toxic to the environment and the human body. On the other hand, paper bags degrade completely in 90 days and cotton bags degrade in just a few months.

 

So out of all these options, what bag should you use? While the best choice out of these common three options is cotton bags, there is another option that is more environmental-friendly which are polyester, vinyl, and nylon bags. They are partly made of cotton so they are durable and reusable but also partly plastic which has the lowest carbon footprints, making it the best choice for your next grocery trip.

 

By Felicia M/XIIA1/11

 

Source: https://osisbid10.blogspot.com/2021/03/what-bag-should-you-use.html

Tags:

Informasi Terkini seputar sekolah kristen BPK PENABUR

Daftar Indeks Berita Terbaru dari BPK Penabur

Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 02 March 2025
DVISION Open Audition Tim Dance SMAK 5 PENABUR Ja...
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 01 March 2025
March 2025 Schedule Board SMAK 5 PENABUR Jakarta
March 2025 Schedule Board SMAK 5 PENABUR Jakarta
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 28 February 2025
Visitasi Kegiatan English Day SMAK 5 PENABUR Jaka...
Visitasi Kegiatan English Day SMAK 5 PENABUR Jaka...
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 24 February 2025
Turut Berduka Cita untuk Karen Kelas Sabine Latre...
Turut Berduka Cita untuk Karen Kelas Sabine Latre...
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 26 February 2025
Recab Ujian Praktik Siswa Kelas XII SMAK 5 PENABU...
Recab Ujian Praktik Siswa Kelas XII SMAK 5 PENABU...
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 19 February 2024
Video Kegiatan Perkaju Kelas XI 2024
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 18 February 2024
Nicholas Carlsen Purba: Pantang Menyerah dan Teru...
Nicholas Carlsen Purba: Pantang Menyerah dan Teru...
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 01 February 2024
Guru Pembaca Teraktif Semester Pertama Tahun Pela...
Guru Pembaca Teraktif Semester Pertama Tahun Pela...
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 07 February 2024
Kelas Mandarin Art, Communication, Entrepreneursh...
Kelas Mandarin Art, Communication, Entrepreneursh...
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 19 February 2024
Pendaftaran Panitia I-SCREAM / SMAK 5's Crew fo...
Pendaftaran Panitia I-SCREAM / SMAK 5's Crew fo...
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 20 September 2020
Jadwal Pelajaran Kelas XI 21-25 September 2020
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 20 September 2020
Jadwal Pelajaran Kelas X 21-25 September 2020
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 13 September 2020
Jadwal Pelajaran Kelas XII 14-18 September 2020
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 13 September 2020
Jadwal Pelajaran Kelas XI 14-18 September 2020
Berita BPK PENABUR Jakarta - 13 September 2020
Jadwal Pelajaran Kelas X 14-18 September 2020
Berita Lainnya - 17 May 2024
Melewati Hari-Hari dengan Menyerahkan Setiap Perg...
Berita Lainnya - 16 May 2024
If We Have A Little Love to Help Others, then Go...
If We Have A Little Love to Help Others, then Go...
Berita Lainnya - 31 July 2024
Rintangan Tampak Besar jika Kita Mengalihkan Pand...
Rintangan Tampak Besar jika Kita Mengalihkan Pand...
Berita Lainnya - 30 July 2024
Bersukacita karena Kebenaran Bukan karena Dosa
Bersukacita karena Kebenaran Bukan karena Dosa
Berita Lainnya - 29 July 2024
Jangan Takut pada Penderitaan, karena Tuhan selal...
Jangan Takut pada Penderitaan, karena Tuhan selal...
Berita Lainnya - 15 August 2022
merespon segala sesuatu secara positif
Berita Lainnya - 08 August 2022
Jangan Menjadi Batu Sandungan !
Jangan Menjadi Batu Sandungan !
Berita Lainnya - 04 August 2022
Tuhan, bimbing aku untuk menemukan harapan dalam ...
Tuhan, bimbing aku untuk menemukan harapan dalam ...
Berita Lainnya - 26 July 2022
"Ya" dan "Tidak"
"Ya" dan "Tidak"
Berita Lainnya - 20 July 2022
Berhikmat dan Rendah Hati
Berhikmat dan Rendah Hati

Choose Your School

GO