15 to 20 years ago it never really sunk into the consciousness of shoppers when they went into a supermarket and were given the choice of  paper or plastic.
Paper bags were the norm and customary and plastic bags were some what of a novelty and were usually for fragile items such as fruits and eggs.
Fast forward to the 21st Century and the choice of Paper or Plastic can lead to discussion and debate.
Now it is a preference just like if you were choosing your favorite shoes or shirt.
With the recycling bug having taken a hold of our world, the choice you make in regard to your shopping bag can have a detrimental effect on our environment.
The somewhat good news about plastic bags is the fact that they can be recycled.
Most people have seen the recycling bins at local dumpsters and waste management facilities.
This is a good thing, because it allows us to use materials that have already been processed and develop the used product back into a more responsible one.
Trees are important to our world because they produce oxygen, reduce carbon dioxide, and are beneficial to supporting life.
Recycled plastic can help reduce the destruction of our forest lands, but would have to be implemented on a grander scale to have a positive impact.
Then why is there a controversy between the choice of plastic over paper? Paper is made from the pulp of trees.
There is only one major chemical in the manufacturing process of paper, lignin, but this is no where near the amount of chemicals that are used in the making of plastic.
Nitrogen, chlorine, and sulfur are the backbone chemicals in plastic.
Stores demand plastic so much because it is a lot cheaper to make than paper.
Paper is available but many retailers are more apt to give you plastic because of this cheaper manufacturing price.
The main thing is this: Paper is better than plastic because it employees fewer harmful chemicals.
The technology of making paper  is getting to the point where there is no longer any need to use chemicals.
Plastic has chemicals that are known to have adverse effects on our environment.
With plastic manufacturing plants, those chemicals have to be disposed of and more than likely they are either going to end up in the ground or in our lakes and rivers which will enter our water supply.
That is why I say: paper instead of plastic please.