Talk:Plastic container
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Alternatives
[edit]Two points regarding the section titled "Alternatives".
Firstly, the citation to the Economist only establishes the manufacture of alternatives as being more resource-hungry. But in an average case scenario (i.e. not assuming perfect recycling; which anyway doesn't exist for plastics), an alternative like a paper bag has minimal environmental impact post-manufacture, whereas a plastic bag may last for hundreds of years and leach microplastics into the soil and groundwater. An accurate environmental assessment would have to include these calculations. The Economist has not done this.
Secondly apropos the remark that "allegedly safe packaging gets into the natural landscape in the form of waste": two of the three given alternatives (cotton bags, cardboard boxes) biodegrade quickly, so they do not seem to help the case being made. Nepenthous (talk) 11:21, 31 October 2025 (UTC)