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Save Oil, Save Trees: Reuse Your Grocery Bags! Did You Know: Reusing a bag meant for just one use has a big impact. A sturdy, reusable bag needs only be used 11 times to have a lower environmental impact than using 11 disposable plastic bags. In New York City alone, one less grocery bag per person per year would reduce waste by 109 tons and save $11,000 in disposal costs. Plastic bags carry 80% of the nation's groceries, up from 5% in 1982. When 1 ton of paper bags is reused or recycled, 3 cubic meters of landfill space is saved and 13 - 17 trees are spared! In 1997, 955,000 tons of paper bags were used in the United States. When 1 ton of plastic bags is reused or recycled, the energy equivalent of 11 barrels of oil are saved. Paper or Plastic? The energy and other environmental impacts embodied in a plastic grocery bag is somewhat less than in a paper grocery bag. But paper is easier to recycle, being accepted in most recycling programs. The recycling rate for plastic bags is very low. So, which is better for the environment? Neither! The fact is that the difference between paper and plastic RECYCLING is small compared with the REUSING bags. Please see also the Sierra Club's municipal solid waste policy. More information about the Sierra Club's other pollution and waste management policies can also be found here. GrassRoots Recycling Network - Bag Reuse Page Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use