Is it time to bring back plastic bags?
A new report confirms that the reusable grocery bags that are so popular, and so environmentally friendly, can also make you sick. Cities across the country are banning plastic bags in favor of these reusable fabric bags that are essentially giant germ sponges. I'm in favor of doing what we can to protect the environment, but I'm a firm believer that people should have the right to choose what they carry their groceries home with. I now have to raise the following question: is it time to un-ban plastic bags in our cities?
Here is an excerpt from KGW on this story:
A study published Wednesday in the Journal of Infectious Diseases details a girls' soccer team trip from Beaverton to Seattle in 2010. Less than 48 hours later, nine people were sicked by norovirus after they all ate cookies from the same reusable grocery bag.
Two years ago, researchers at the University of Arizona found quantities of bacteria in reusable bags -- including E. coli."
I think it might be time to start asking consumers if they want paper or plastic again.