We need to stop making reusable ‘eco-friendly’ bags
[SINGAPORE] Single-use plastic bags, once ubiquitous in grocery and department stores, have become a public enemy in the fight against the climate crisis – and rightly so.
These disposables are now given out more sparingly at stores – and often with a charge to disincentivise their use, thanks to pressure from environmentalists. But taking their place is something perhaps more egregious: reusable shopping bags.
I argue that we should Make Paper Bags Great Again. This may sound counterintuitive, but hear me out.
The problem with many reusable shopping bags is that they are, in fact, glorified plastic bags, and there are simply way too many out there – more than what we ever need – consistent with capitalism’s obsession with excess.
Such bags, sometimes called poly bags, are often made from polypropylene or polyester, which make them non-biodegradable. They are also not recyclable in Singapore, according to Singapore-based ground-up environmental initiative Recyclopedia.
“Non-woven bags eventually break down, potentially contributing to problems of microplastic if they are not disposed of properly,” Recyclopedia writes on its website. “Anyone who has forgotten such a bag at the back of a cupboard for a decade will know what a mess of plastic shards this can become!”
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Yet, because they have been marketed as an eco-friendly alternative, the same carefree attitude towards single-use plastic bags has simply now been transferred to these poly bags.
In other words, reusable “eco-friendly” poly bags are yet another manifestation of greenwashing.
In theory, reusing shopping bags is a great idea, but only under the assumption that each of us has one or two of such bags – maybe a maximum of five for heavy-duty grocery shopping.
The reality is that most of us probably have a sizeable pile of poly bags somewhere in our storerooms, and we still keep receiving them – from well-meaning friends, shops or other organisations – because of the misguided view that they are less harmful to the environment.
Somewhat ironically, the vilified disposable plastic bag is arguably less nefarious – at least they are often being reused to bag rubbish.
A 2006 study by the UK government found that compared with a plastic bag that gets reused as a bin liner, non-woven poly bags would have to be reused 26 times to ensure they have “lower global warming potential”.
Cotton bags are the worst offenders, requiring 327 reuses for the same effect.
Of course, reducing the use of grocery bags in the first place would be the best-case scenario, but evidently, this isn’t always practical.
In that case, paper bags are arguably the lesser evil, since they are biodegradable, compostable and don’t end up harming marine life.
What about the trees, one might ask. While it’s true that industrial tree plantations are poor substitutes for natural forests, paper has distinct environmental advantages. It comes from a renewable source, is widely recyclable, and breaks down naturally without leaching microplastics.
This is not to say we should be producing more and more paper bags once again. Instead, we need to be more scrupulous with how we use resources – something that policy and economic incentives can help guide.
The real problem that has led to the climate crisis isn’t plastic bags or poly bags per se. It is our culture of disposability. For too long, we have been using and discarding items in excess, only to look for the next “eco-friendly” alternative to do the same thing all over again. The crisis will continue as long as this attitude remains.
Copyright SPH Media. All rights reserved.
