In Marin County, they want to ban plastic bags and charge five cents for paper. Is paper better than plastic when it comes to its impact on the environment? According to Steven Joseph, it's not. Here's a quote from an article on the proposed ban:
He (Joseph) said an environmental report prepared for Los Angeles County concluded that negative impacts of a paper bag include 3.3 times more greenhouse gas emissions than a plastic bag; 1.1 times more consumption of nonrenewable energy than a plastic bag; four times more consumption of water than a plastic bag; 1.9 times more acid rain than a plastic bag; 1.3 times more negative air quality than a plastic bag, and 2.7 times more solid waste production than a plastic bag.
Did Whole Foods know this when they got rid of plastic bags?
For the whole article, which is well worth reading, go here.