Paper or Plastic?

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It feels like one of those environmental debates we settled a long time ago. Paper comes from trees, breaks down, and feels natural. Plastic comes from fossil fuels and represents pollution. So if we're trying to make the environmentally responsible choice, paper seems like the obvious answer. Except the closer you look, the less obvious it gets. Depending on the conditions, paper can require more material, water, and energy to produce than plastic. Plastic can perform better in some lifecycle…