Are Reusable Grocery Bags Dangerous?

The plastics industry is at it again. A study commissioned/paid by the plastics industry, states that reusable grocery bags could pose a health risk to Canadians by increasing their exposure to dangerous bacteria. The study also states that your risk would increase if you carry dirty diapers around in your reusable grocery bags first. Or leave your used gym clothes in the grocery bags before going shopping for food.

Common sense indicates the need to clean your reusable bags every so often. If you think there may have been a spill or leak in a bag, wipe it clean. I use mostly cloth reusable bags  and  toss them into the wash every now and again.

Loblaws started charging Toronto customers for plastic bags in January, and in April stopped giving them away free across the country to meet its goal of diverting one billion plastic bags from landfill sites by the end of this year.

The company issued a statement Wednesday saying it stands by its reusable bags.

“Food items placed into reusable bags, for the most part, do not come in direct contact with the bag given their product packaging,” Loblaw Companies vice-president Inge van den Berg said in an email.

“Perishable items are put in plastic bags or other types of wrap packaging prior to being placed into the reusable bag, providing minimal opportunity for contamination of the bag.”

The World Wildlife Fund, which worked with grocery chains such as Loblaws to convince retailers to charge five cents for each plastic bag to discourage their use, said the concerns raised in the study could be addressed by washing the reusable bags.

“It’s a valid point, but I don’t think we need to go back to disposing billions of plastic bags across Canada,” said WWF spokesman Steven Price.

“We need to take care of the objectives, which is to be safe and healthy, so let’s wash the bags.”

Will the plastics industry even learn?

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• Toronto bylaw Pay for Plastic Bags
• Single-Use Plastic Bags for Recycling
• China Bans Free Plastic Bags Whereas USA Sues

Filed under: ecoFriendly