One reason for the gross ubiquity of plastic is that it’s incredibly useful. But many consumers want alternatives that they believe are better for the environment, such as paper and glass. Others favor single-use plastic that is biodegradable or compostable. They may all be in for a shock.

Many alternatives pollute more: According to a 2016 study by the environmental consultancy Trucost,(10) replacing plastic with alternatives like paper, aluminum, and glass in many common applications would increase annual environmental costs from $139 billion to $533 billion when the impact of making and transporting these heavier materials is factored in. “What is the alternative for plastic?” asks P. Marimuthu, a plastic manufacturer in Chennai, India. “Nobody gives an answer to this. If you don't give an alternative product, then banning plastics will not succeed.”

Bioplastic Isn’t Green: So-called compostable plastic bags, meanwhile, can’t biodegrade in landfills or in household compost. They have to be separated from other waste, and heated at an industrial facility to 70 degrees Centigrade.(11 )Bioplastic, made from plant material, has a similar carbon-chain molecular structure to plastic made from petroleum — and most of the same environmental drawbacks.(12)

Paper Bags Are Worse. Seventy-three percent of Americans surveyed by Gallup believed paper bags were greener than plastic.(13) Analyses of both materials’ life cycles, however, show that plastic bag production causes 60 to 70 percent less air pollution than paper.(14) And because of the toxic emissions from paper mills, a plastic bag sent to a landfill actually produces 90 percent less water pollution than a paper bag that is recycled, researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology found.