You were not alone. We too always demand paper as the plastic doesn’t break down in the landfill as paper does. It was common knowledge back when the Left, the Environmentalcases pushed to have the plastic bags rather than paper.
The stats about the rainforests back then were so obviously hyped it was ridiculous. I’ve forgotten now what was claimed, but the rainforests would not have existed in a matter of a few months at the rate they claimed.
Environmentalism is just an excuse for lying.
Most paper bags come from recycled cardboard. I especially like the bags from places like Trader Joes that have handles glued onto the paper bag.
However, I also like the plastic ones to line my bathroom and office trash cans.