For many, the biggest decision to make at the grocery story is the very last one — do you want your food packed in paper bags or plastic bags? The stores clearly would rather you go with plastic bags.

“Paper or plastic?” It’s probably the single most common question in daily life – a query that can lead to embarrassing indecision, a kind of eco-paralysis that spares neither the planet nor the ...

State lawmakers have passed a law that they say will forever end the choice of "paper or plastic" in checkout lanes. Here, a conveyor belt carries mixed plastic at a recycling plant in Vernon. (Reed ...

There is a considerable amount of research into the reduction of plastic for many and various applications. For the first time, researchers have found a way to imbue relatively sustainable paper ...

Paper or plastic — we all know the question. It conjures images of conveyor belts, sounds of beeps as items are scanned and maybe even smells of fresh mint as you wait in line near the packs of gum.

For many in the retail and grocery industry, a commitment to sustainability begins with their choice of bag. Planet-friendly packaging and totes help with the reduction of waste and send a strong ...

This transcript was prepared by a transcription service. This version may not be in its final form and may be updated. Kate Bullivant: In the fight for more environmentally friendly production, major ...

Packaging designer Ryan Gaither believes in the power of cardboard. He's laid down a massive sheet of it – as big as a king-size bed – at the Swedish-owned BillerudKorsnäs design lab in Portland. He ...

Half a billion straws are used in the United States every day, according to a popular — but perhaps not the most scientific — estimate. The biggest buyer: the federal government, which buys more ...

Most chemical reactions perform best when shaken or stirred. Active mixing maximizes the chances that reactant molecules will find one another. But chemists who are exploiting small-volume reactions ...

Re “Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? New Proposals Like Neither” (news article, Bay Area edition, May 21): The record needs to be set straight on paper bags. When it comes to choosing a grocery bag for the ...