A Research Paper on Plastic Vs Paper

Introduction

Paper may have any of a large number of desirable properties, including wet strength and high impact or tear strength; resistance to water, water vapor, gases, and oil and grease; flame resistance; resistance to molds, insects, and rodents; and the ability to provide protection against corrosion and tarnishing. This paper discusses use of paper and plastic in the context of the environment in a concise and comprehensive way.

A Research Paper on Plastic Vs Paper

Needles and Haig (pp. 45-49) mention use of papers is environmentally friendly. It is particularly well suited for the packaging and serving of food, because it is nontoxic, odorless, tasteless, and adaptable to many uses. Paper and pulp wadding had become important for cushioning in packaging fragile products. Molded pulp containers are used for eggs, apples, plants, fruit, electrical equipment, and glassware.

Scholars have emphasized that use of plastic has been environmentally disastrous. The applications of paper are limited only by humans' ingenuity. A great variety of technical and industrial papers have been developed for use in the manufacture of oil and air filters, disposable vacuum bags, engine gaskets, cap liners, power-transmission and electric telephone lines, wet-cell batteries, and many other special-purpose products.

World capacity to produce paper and paperboard is over 218 million short tons per year. However, actual production is usually below that figure. Production is typically about 90% of capacity in economically stable years (Needles and Haig, pp. 45-49). The current world pulp production capacity is about 167 million tons; nearly 49% of that is in the United States and Canada.

The United States accounts for about one-third of the world's paper production. The ten leading paper-producing countries account for nearly 72% of the world's output. The first three—the United States, Japan, and Canada—account for 50%, while the other seven—Germany, Sweden, Finland, ...