contrary to popular opinion, a shift away from the use of paper products to the use of plastics would benefit the environment nationwide at this time more harm is being done to the environment nationwide by the use of paper than by the use of plastics the ratio of weight to volume is the same for plastic trash as it is for paper trash plastics constitute a smaller proportion of the nation's total trash than do paper products
A recent national study of the trash discarded in several representative areas confirmed that plastics constitute a smaller proportion of all trash than paper products do, whether the trash is measured by weight or by volume. The damage that a given weight or volume of trash does to the environment is roughly the same whether the trash consists of plastics or paper products. Contrary to popular opinion, ttherefore, the current use of plastics actually does less harm to the environment nationwide than that of paper products.
The main conclusion of the argument is that