"But there's one major downside to bag bans: Although plastic bags' manufacture is relatively energy intensive (according to the Australian government, a car could drive 36 feet with the amount of petroleum used to make a single plastic bag), other kinds of bags use even more fossil fuel. A heavy-duty, reusable plastic bag must be used 12 times before its global warming impact is lower than continuing to use disposable bags, according to a study by the UK Environment Agency. A cotton bag takes 132 uses, and a paper bag—which will still be legal with California's 10-cent fee—must be used four times before its global warming impact is less than using single-use bags.
Unless Californians reuse their 10-cent paper bags several times, opting for paper won't do much to decrease environmental impact. And although the UK study doesn't factor in other benefits of reusable bags, such as reduced litter, it underscores the fact that reusable bags are only beneficial if they're actually used. Freebie branded totes gathering dust in closets are not worth the energy they took to produce.
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/09/california-bans-plastic-bags
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