And for all the Portlanders saving a plastic bag there's a Texan buying all their drinking water as pallets of disposable single use plastic bottles.

I think we should just take the japan route - use plastic, try your best to be judicious and then just incinerate it.

Japan's electricity is also so coal-based that using Japanese factories is starting to violate US companies' clean energy rules.

https://www.ft.com/content/bbd59494-ac64-4dda-8da5-a2990d893...

There are bioplatic liners for paper coffee cups that allow them to be fully compostable, though. I have sitting next to me one made from the World Centric brand that uses the "Ingeo PLA" for the liner, and I compost these cups in my backyard. I only use them when it's inconvenient to not use a regular mug.

Both are good sturdy canvas and can easily be patched and repaired by anyone with basic sewing skills, some thread and a scrap of additional fabric.

Between those two bags and a military surplus canvas shoulder bag, I can take care of 99% of my shopping on foot or by bicycle (baskets and panniers are wonderful inventions), and I haven't had to buy a plastic bag in years.

TL;DR

# Reuses needed to break-even with standard single-use plastic bag (LDPE;Low-density polyethylene)

Organic cotton - 20,000 reuses

Conventional cotton - 7,100 reuses

Composite - 870 reuses

Recycled PET - 84 reuses

Polypropylene, non-woven, recycled - 52 reuses

Polypropylene, woven, recycled - 45 reuses

Unbleached paper - 43 reuses

Bleached paper - 43 reuses

Biopolymer - 42 reuses

Polyester PET, recycled - 35 reuses

TL;DR

# Reuses needed to break-even with standard single-use plastic bag (LDPE;Low-density polyethylene)

Organic cotton - 20,000 reuses

Conventional cotton - 7,100 reuses

Composite - 870 reuses

Recycled PET - 84 reuses

Polypropylene, non-woven, recycled - 52 reuses

Polypropylene, woven, recycled - 45 reuses

Unbleached paper - 43 reuses

Bleached paper - 43 reuses

Biopolymer - 42 reuses

Polyester PET, recycled - 35 reuses