Plastic or Paper | What is more sustainable?

The ‘paper v/s plastic’ debate is always persistent in sustainability forums. There is always much misinformation surrounding plastic and paper manufacturing. Few people know what goes into the making of a plastic bag. Why are most plastic bags non-degradable?

The question regarding the sustainability of paper bag remains. Many people believe paper bag manufacturing involves deforestation to get raw materials- which is so untrue in the present time. How? We will be reading this article. We will first see the manufacturing of plastic bags and then paper bag.

Plastic Bag Manufacturing

Plastic bags are made with polyethylene sheets- pressed, and cut into different shapes. The raw material is not a natural resource but artificially synthesized polymers. After its extraction, the hydrocarbon is polymerized and processed to form plastic sheets. It is easier said than done. The steps are enlisted below.

1. Extraction- Underground drilling is required to take out crude oil, natural gas, or coal. The formation of these natural resources takes thousands of years. The mixture yields raw material for processing. However, it contains a variety of compounds. Different compounds are separated by distillation.

2. Refining- In this step, high temperature and pressure are exerted on crude oil to isolate different petroleum products. The crude oil moves to the distillation unit after sufficient heating on the furnaces. The distillation unit separates petroleum products into different fractions as per the densities. It also contains groups of hydrocarbon distillates- collectively called 'Naptha.' Naptha, along with some other gas, is used for plastic manufacturing.

3. Polymerizing – Hydrocarbons include olefin gases-ethylene, propylene, and butylenes- extracted by refining. These monomer units of hydrocarbons join to form polymer chains. The hydrocarbon chains undergo polymerization to form different densities of polymers; low-density polymers and high-density polymers. In other words, hydrocarbons form a network structure by the formation of strong chemical bonds between monomer units.

4. Compounding- Different blend of polymer is mixed in the molten state to make a plastic formulation. This mixture is also blended with other chemicals to form suitable pellets. The extruder is used to fasten the blending. Finally, pellets undergo molding to form finished or semi-finished products.

It is this harsh processing that makes plastic products non-biodegradable. The strong chemical bonds are not easily broken by soil microbes.

Paper Bag Manufacturing

Paper is made from cellulose fiber. However, cutting timber plants for fiber pulp is not compulsory. Paper manufacturing company mainly uses eco-friendly resources such as post-harvest residue. Sugarcane residue, wheat fiber, and animal waste are often starting commodities. Usage of these raw materials resolves the deforestation problem and simultaneously fixes the debris of other industries. Hence, the paper production approach is more sustainable. Paper sacks are a part of an eco-friendly lifestyle. Each year, a million tonnes of waste paper arises from different sources. In the absence of recycling, the waste paper will create disaster. Recycled paper production clears up piles of household waste paper and other farming waste.

The steps in paper production are as follows.

1. Fiber Extraction- The cellulose fiber is extracted from raw materials. In the case of recycling, recyclable fiber is taken out. Recyclable paper is pressed and shredded. Subsequently, ink is removed from the printed paper. The unworkable part is separated, rest forms fiber pulp.

2. Pulp processing- The fiber pulp undergoes further processing. There are two types of processing- chemical and mechanical processing.

In mechanical processing, as the name suggests, machines are used that exert pressure to distort fiber and compress them into thin sheets.

In chemical processing, Suitable chemicals are administered to a pulp for fragmentation of fibers.

Waste paper; is simply put in hot water to form pulp and disintegrate fiber.

3. Drying- The pulp is then dried to obtain desired paper fiber.

4. Flattening- Fiber is pressurized to customize the thickness and format of the paper.

5. Shaping- Paper is cut into different shapes and rolled into sheets.

Conclusion

In short, plastic production exerts pressure on non-renewable resources. Plastic bags are non-degradable. Polyethylene contaminates the ecosystem. Hence, plastic bags are toxic to the environment. On the other hand, paper production is more sustainable, using eco-friendly resources. Waste paper can quickly turn into a recycled paper bag through recycling. So, go green with paper bags.