Are wax baggies a better environmental choice than plastic baggies for sandwiches etc?

Question

I use wax paper bags for my kids lunches and I am wondering if I am actually doing the environment a favor in lieu of plastic baggies. (Note that I know that use nothing disposable is the better choice but for sandwiches I generally end up with baggies for a variety of reasons.)

Answer 1

Wax is better because the paper fibers eventually get wet.  Once wet they can rot and the wax particles will break up and likely be consumed by microbes.  Plastic baggies, in effect, are a more highly polymerized form of wax.  They contain no biodegradable material and persist for many years in the environment.  About the only thing that will destroy them is UV light (ultraviolet light).