Think reusable bags are significantly more environmental friendly than plastic? Bag it.

The oops moment occurred many decades ago, a long way away from here, and long before that December day in 1980 when shares of Apple stock first went public and I decided I had better things to do with $22. A rotten Apple decision indeed.

His name was Sten Gustaf Thulin, a Swedish engineer. He became increasingly concerned about the negative environmental impact of mass deforestation to provide materials to manufacture, among other products, paper bags. Fewer trees triggering desertification, soil erosion, and increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

In order to help save the planet, ol’ Sten invented the plastic bag. That flimsy tank-top-T-shirt-shaped bag that may tear open from the weight of a few grocery items, but so strong it takes decades to decompose once discarded into the environment.

And the environment takes a major hit. The polypropylene bags eventually break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.

Oops indeed.

While Thulin’s heart was in the right place in 1959, he may not have foreseen the disastrous consequences of his creation. Today, however, Thulin’s Folly is inarguable. On May 4, New Jersey becomes the 10th state to begin the practice of banning the distribution of single-use plastic bags at the checkout by retail or food service establishments.

“I think it’s a great law because those bags are killing the environment,” said Sophie Jereskey of Edgewater Park. “The only way to stop people from using them is not to hand them out at the store. I’ve been taking cloth bags with me when I go shopping. They’re reusable, so I’m doing my part. Now everybody’s going to have to fall in line. Cloth bags are the way to go, people.”

Well, not everyone is bagging that advice into their receptacle of choice. When I asked Marion Timonte of Willingboro about the plastic bag ban law to come, she told me to do some homework.

“Yes, plastic bags are bad, but all those other bags aren’t much better,” she said. “They’re all bad for the environment in some way.”

No masking her wrath: 'My mouth may be covered, but it's gonna stay wide open': Mask wearer speaks her mind

Don't blame Russians: 'This is not my country doing this. This is Putin': Russian immigrant supporting Ukraine

So, I went home, and did my homework. Here’s what I learned:

Paper bags have some advantages over plastic bags when it comes to sustainability. They are easier to recycle, and, because they are biodegradable, they can be used for purposes like composting. However, paper is very resource-heavy to produce: Manufacturing a paper bag takes about four times as much energy as it takes to produce a plastic bag, plus the chemicals and fertilizers used in producing paper bags create additional harm to the environment.

Because reusable and paper bags have a huge environmental cost upfront, and plastic bags create greater negative effects after being used, it is hard to determine which type of bag is truly the most sustainable.

How about cotton bags? Cotton, a natural fiber. It breathes, and all that. Gotta be good for the environment, right? Well …

According to a 2018 study in Denmark, one organic cotton tote needs to be used 20,000 times to offset its overall impact of production. That number equates to daily use for 54 years for one bag. Not happening.

Cultivating cotton is a water-intensive process, so it uses extensive resources during production. Also, disposing of a cotton bag in an environmentally low-impact way can prove difficult. Only 15 percent of the 30 million tons of cotton produced every year actually end up in textile depositories. Plus, much of the dye used to print logos onto cotton totes are PVC based and not recyclable.

Regardless of whether the bag is plastic, paper, or another material, the most sustainable choice is the bag you already have. In every study and for every type of bag, it was clear that reusing the bag as many times as you can reduces its impact on the environment.

OK, a show of hands. How many of you always remember to take reusable bags from home when you go shopping? Yeah, didn’t think so.

One person I spoke with told me she has gotten into the habit of pushing her full shopping cart to her vehicle, opening the trunk, and loading the items without any bags. How many of us are willing to do that for the environment? Yeah, didn’t think so.

A reminder: May 4 is just around the corner. Another reminder: That single, $22 share of Apple stock in 1980 would be worth $28,197.12 today.

Much like the environmental impact created by any of those bags, an incredibly costly mistake.

Phil Gianficaro, a columnist for the USA TODAY Network, can be reached at 215-345-3078, pgianficaro@theintell.com, and @philgianficaro on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Burlington County Times: New Jersey's plastic bag ban in stores goes into effect May 4