plastic at least since the paper ones seem thinner and more likely to rip than the ones made when I was a kid.

I also use the plastic as trash bags.

In California the laws are changing and soon we will all be taking our groceries home one item at a time because we refuse to pay the new users tax on bags

Before you brown bag it, consider these environmental disadvantages of paper:

Causes pollution(specifically 70 percent more pollution than the production of plastic bags), Consumes energy( Even though petroleum goes into making plastic, it turns out that making a paper bag consumes four times as much energy as making a plastic bag, meaning making paper consumes a good deal of fuel), Consumes water, Produces waste, and creates biodegrading difficulties.

Modern day plastic bags are now biodegradeable, recyclable they are no longer the environmental nuisance they used to be.

paper bags arent really paper these days as they have a layer of plastic coat around them so they dont break as easily, but if you meant actual PAPER paper bags then yes i would choose that

Paper. It can easily be recycled and is biodegradable.