Paper or Plastic?

Question

Let’s see how you make critical judgment on this part. Study the following arguments on one of the pressing global issues on

the use of paper and plastic bag and choose which side may gain your favor based on the given evidences. Elaborate the

reasons justifying your choice. Use the prompt given after the table in explaining your stand. Also, be guided by the rubric that

follows.

PAPER or PLASTIC?

PAPER BAG PLASTIC BAG

DISADVANTAGES

o requires more energy and greenhouse gas

emissions to produce

o requires forests to be cut down to produce the

paper bags

o produces a higher concentration of toxic chemicals

compared with making single-use plastic bags

o weighs more than plastic (means its transportation

requires more energy)

o often takes centuries to decompose

o can create a dreadful waste

o can contaminate food sources

o hard to recycle

DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

✓ Paper bags are 100% biodegradable, reusable, and

recyclable.

✓ Paper bags present less of a suffocation risk to

young children or animals.

✓ Plastic bags are more durable than paper bags.

They are less prone to tearing, easier to carry,

and are far more useful in bad weather.

✓ Plastic bags are reusable, as trashcan liners or as

storage bags, or for picking up after the dog.

Plastic bags last longer than plastic bags and

can be repurposed, unlike paper bags.

ADVANTAGES

Based on the above evidences, I prefer to use__________________________ for the following reasons:

Answer 1

Hi Sam,

It would be helpful to see the rubric mentioned here -- this will tell you everything the teacher expects to see in the essay you write.

In terms of setting up your main idea here using the prompt, here's how you would think this through.

Based on the above evidences, I prefer to use (paper/plastic) for the following reasons:

1. Here we would list the reasons you picked one or the other. If you were writing a paper, each of these reasons might become one paragraph of material in your essay.
2. Now, the reasons aren't just going to repeat the disadvantages and advantages listed. Why? Because it isn't a simple comparison where one clearly outweighs the other -- your answer is based on a perspective you take about the whole idea.

Begin by listing some basic ideas that come up while you consider this comparison (I'll give some examples that come to my mind-- I'm thinking as if I'm in your shoes -- a student):

1. Jeez, no matter which you use, Paper or Plastic, they both have serious environmental consequences.
2. I guess if I chose paper, it would be because I prioritize things that can be recycled or are biodegradable.
3. If I chose plastic, it would be because even though it isn't necessarily easily recyclable and will not break down easily, it can at least be re-used. I know that my friends with dogs re-use plastic bags rather than buying dog waste bags.
4. This makes me think there must be a better way: what about reusable bags? Do I actually think that plastic AND paper are bad, given what I've learned here?

So, I might end up writing something like this:

Based on the above evidences, I prefer to use reusable bags but if needed would choose plastic over paper for the following reasons:

1. Both paper and plastic have negative consequences in both their production and their lifespan, and so I don't think you can actually decide which one is definitively worse than the other. So, if I didn't have a reusable bag on hand, and if I needed to choose paper or plastic, it would come down to a question of how useful or convenient one is over the other for a particular person.
2. As a high-school/college student, the ability to re-use plastic bags is convenient and helpful to my small budget. Students need to have ingenuity and go without many single-use comforts (like expensive paper towels or even trash can liners). So, I re-use the plastic bags my groceries come in. Just a few things it can be used for: trash can liners in my dorm, bike seat cover when it rains, protect my books or computer in my backpack in bad weather, lunch bag. I know when a bag becomes un-usable, I can recycle it at my local grocery store.

Hope this helps! A lot of writing is just taking time to think, writing those thoughts down, and then arranging those thoughts logically for someone else to understand.

Emily