Paper or plastic? Most Indianapolis shoppers choose least eco bags

We are all aware of the dilemma: paper or plastic. It conjures up thoughts of conveyor belts, beeping sounds as objects are scanned, and perhaps even the aroma of fresh mint as you stand in line next to the gum packs. Here, we wanted to know how Hoosiers across Indianapolis and surrounding areas answered that question. 

Plastic bags are a significant contributor to the tremendous problem of plastic pollution. Every year, consumers use up to 5 trillion plastic bags worldwide. According to The World Counts, a company that gathers information from various sources, that amounts to more than 700 for each person on the planet annually. Additionally, it is thought that each plastic bag is only used for 12 minutes on average. Environmental organizations have persisted in advocating the use of reusable goods, including bags, straws, food storage containers, and water bottles, in an effort to reduce the use of plastic.

So how exactly do folks in the city package their groceries? Have they become attached to reusable bags, are they tethered to plastic, or are they squaring off with paper? To learn more, IndyStar conducted a small study and there was a clear winner: Plastic rules the day.

In order to conduct this research, IndyStar traveled to a dozen different grocery stores or establishments that sell food in various parts of the city. Along with Saraga, we visited Kroger, Meijer, a Trader Joe's, a Whole Foods, and locations on the north, south, east, and west sides of the city. The study was conducted over the weeks preceding up to and following Thanksgiving. We counted the number of customers leaving the store with each kind of bag throughout our hour-long visits to each site. Then we tallied them up. It was that simple. In total, we counted nearly 1,800 shoppers across all locations. 

The stores might be roughly divided into three categories: those that offer both paper and plastic bags but highlight plastic more, those that offer both but emphasize paper more, and those that do not offer plastic bags at all.

The specifics of each store IndyStar visited are included below, but there are some of the main overall findings:  

• The majority of customers choose plastic bags in the first category of stores since paper bags are uncommon there. And by most, that refers to roughly 96% of over 1,100 individuals. Together, less than 5% of people utilized paper bags, reusable bags, or simply carried a few items out by hand without any bags.

• The majority of customers chose plastic in the second group of retailers, where paper is more obvious. Nearly three-quarters of 200 people continued to use plastic bags even if more people (15% of them) did choose paper.

• Not surprisingly, the largest number of paper bags were used at the third category of stores, those where plastic is not available. At those locations, nearly 72% of shoppers went with paper while just 14% walked out with reusable bags. 

Regardless of the type of store, very few people shopped with reusable bags. Looking across all roughly 1,800 shoppers at the dozen stores, only 4% used a reusable bag while shopping. In fact, more people hand-carried their items out without any bag at all — still a sustainable option. Nearly a dozen states — including Connecticut and Washington — and more than 200 counties and municipalities across the country have enacted bans on disposable bags or passed ordinances that impose a fee on using plastic bags. 

On the contrary hand, Indiana has joined a number of other states in adopting a different strategy: they have prohibited outright outlawing plastic bags. The use of disposable plastic bags by grocery stores and other retailers cannot be taxed or restricted, according to a law that Indiana legislators passed in 2016. The law was created as a result of Bloomington, Indiana's consideration of a plastic bag ban. While plastic bags are likely to be in use in Indiana for the foreseeable future, there are still measures to prevent as many of them from ending up in landfills, waterways, and the environment. These disposable plastic bags can, in fact, be recycled - but not in the usual blue bin. Instead, these bags have to be taken to a drop-off point at big-box stores. Residents can find nearby stores that accept bags here: https://bagandfilmrecycling.org/ 

Plastic bags are problematic at regular recycling facilities because they clog the equipment. However, more and larger facilities that are equipped to recycle plastic film, including bags, are opening up. Although a lot of recycled plastic bags are used to create new plastic bags, there are also new businesses emerging and developing new uses. These bags are now used to create "plastic lumber," which is used, among other things, to construct park benches, fences, and other structures.

Credit: IndyStar

TLPPACKAGING FOR SHOPPING BAGS