Paper or plastic?

Be careful—nowadays, it's a trick question.

By now most consumers are aware that petroleum-based plastic is the wrong answer, blamed for polluting the environment and choking marine life. The “;green police”; might come out and arrest you, like in that Super Bowl Audi commercial.

But paper really isn't any better, given that it came from a downed tree and took more energy to transport and produce.

Then again, some plastic bags claim to be biodegradable, and some paper bags are made from post-consumer recycled fiber, which eases the guilt factor.

If a new bill passes this legislative session, the question could more likely be, do you want to pay a few extra cents for that bag?

The best answer, from a green standpoint, is neither paper nor plastic, but, “;I've got my own bags.”;

Now when you mention this to people who are reluctant to change, they come up with excuses like it's too much work, it would require too many bags and it's just not convenient. Or people say they need their plastic bags to pick up dog poop or to line the wastebasket.

This is true. I do that, too, and that's just fine.

But what I'm wondering is how many people have the “;plastic bag monster”; hiding under their kitchen sinks—that big, huge cluster of plastic bags that has pretty much gotten out of control.

The truth is that one simple trip to the grocery store means coming home with dozens of plastic bags, more than anyone really needs.

The average family accumulates 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store, according to reusablebags.com, while every reusable bag you use potentially eliminates an average of 1,000 plastic bags over its lifetime.

By bringing my own bags to the grocery store, the “;plastic bag monster”; has gone away. It's liberating. And it really isn't that hard to keep a stash of reusable bags in the trunk of your car—yes, even a dozen of them. No excuses.

If you forget every now and then, it's OK. If you only remembered to bring one, that's a start. Most stores offer 3 to 5 cents' credit per bag you bring in.

Reusable totes are now available from practically every supermarket on this island, and you can even get souvenir totes from your next Trader Joe's jaunt on the mainland.

If it's being fashionable that you care about, check out the colorful Chico bags, which fold up into a tiny pouch attached to a key chain, or Envirosax totes, which come in cool designs. You could even use your backpack or beach bag.

The Maui and Kauai county plastic checkout bag bans kick in on Jan. 11, 2011. In Honolulu, several bills this legislative session seek to charge a small fee for every plastic or paper checkout bag—not likely to be popular among consumers.

But it all starts with you—you can make a difference.

Spring cleaning

Kokua Market at 2643 S. King St. is partnering up with Hagadone Recycling from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 21, to take your unwanted glossy magazines, catalogs, fliers, junk mail and phone books.

Customers who bring in recyclables get a coupon for a free oat cake and coffee. Drop off recyclables in the store's back parking lot.

Nina Wu writes a column about environmental issues on the first Monday of every month. E-mail her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).