Syag, There always is a give and take when it comes to this type of things. However the alternatives are not as bad for the environment as plastic. When plastic breaks down to a microscopic level, it doesn’t integrate back into the soil the same way cotton or paper does.
Milhouse, Most plastic waste is not biodegradable. A specific example I can give is, chlorinated plastic can release harmful chemicals into the surrounding soil, which can then seep into groundwater or other surrounding water sources, and also the ecosystem. This can cause a range of potentially harmful effects on the species that drink the water.
The regulations will not ban reusable durable plastic bags. Those are generally the bags that the high end retail stores provide.
Abba_S, I’d like to see the source for that information. I would wager that the process to create a single plastic bag is more harmful to the environment start to finish than a single paper bag.