GIF credits to Ally @ssoonshim

By Hailey Tan

Did you know, the first paper bag was invented by Francis Wolle? Francis Wolle was an inventor, psychologist and also an American priest of the Moravian Church. He was credited for his patent of the first paper bag machine in 1852. Wolle and his brother even went on to start their very own company in 1869 and named it the Union Paper Bag Machine Company. However, many would consider Margaret E. Knight the ‘mother of the grocery bag’ as she designed the square, flat bottomed bag and the machine that would fold and paste them in 1870. To this day, this design is still the much-preferred paper bag design. The paper bag is a significant invention which serves a multitude of purposes; thus, Paper Bag Day is celebrated every July 12th. 

So, why is the paper bag so significant? The paper bag is said to be renewable, easily recyclable and biodegradable due to the fact that it is made of paper. Hence, it is supposed to be the better alternative to plastic bags. Moreover, the paper bag is multifunctional as it can be used for carrying groceries, arts and crafts and even aid in hyperventilation. This is because breathing into a paper bag can help people experiencing hyperventilation to regulate their oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. In addition to that, it is also inexpensive and accessible as it can be bought for a low price at any grocery store. Besides that, the paper bag does not pose any harm to our health as long as it is not treated with chemicals or dyed a certain colour. 

However, are paper bags actually recyclable? The answer is yes, if it is made of paper only and does not have a plastic lining or coating. Typically, paper bags from stores that are coloured and glossy not only have a plastic coat on the outside, but also on the inside to protect the contents of the bag, thus rendering it unrecyclable. However, most paper bags for food and grocery that usually look like plain brown bags can be recycled. This is only if the paper bag is not contaminated with remnants of food, otherwise it will just be thrown away as removing the contaminants utilizes a lot of energy. Besides that, the lack of recycling facilities in Malaysia means that a lot of paper items do not get recycled and end up in landfills. One of the major reasons for the lack of investment in local recycling facilities is that recycling consumes too much energy in the form of fuel and machinery. Besides that, it is also time consuming since it involves a long process and is overall inefficient. 

With that in mind, are paper bags better than plastic bags? Although paper bags are biodegradable, landfills do not provide ideal conditions for biodegradation as there is a lack of oxygen and light, which means that barely anything will get decomposed for a long time. It is estimated that paper bags create 70% more air pollution and 80% more toxic greenhouse gasses than plastic bags. Additionally, deforestation activities carried out to harvest wood for paper decreases atmospheric carbon absorption. The process of making paper is also time consuming as a tree large enough to harvest from takes years to grow. Moreover, it is energy consuming as it is labour intensive and very costly as well. Did you know, it takes 91% less energy to recycle a plastic bag?