system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is paper used to substitute plastic (such as paper bags, paper cups, paper straws etc.) if it costs our trees? Is it more eco friendly?
gpt
Trees are renewable and can be harvested sustainably. Plastic comes mostly from oil products and is limited. Paper will degrade pretty rapidly in the environment where plastic does hardly at all. The last point is important, as paper will eventually give us more soil whereas plastic needs to be stuck in a hole for an eternity.