3 ms·
Tyvek bags get sold commonly in my area, and Tyvek does not survive a standard washing machine cycle. A canvas bag used for groceries should be washed between
by chasil 3y ago
Tyvek bags get sold commonly in my area, and Tyvek does not survive a standard washing machine cycle.
A canvas bag used for groceries should be washed between each use.
- gnicholas 3y agoI wonder what the environmental impact of washing a bag 100 times is, compared to 100 single-use plastic bags (which may be reused as trash bags).
- loeg 3y agoI can't imagine washing a grocery bag between every use. Why?
- chasil 3y agoSalmonella are endemic to chicken. E. Coli have also been found in reusable bags. Fungus and yeasts are also a problem. You don't want these on your salad greens, fruits, or vegetables. Reusing the bags without washing risks exposure to pathogens. https://polymerinnovationblog.com/reusable-grocery-bags-may-pose-a-health-risk-the-scientific-evidence/ https://polymerinnovationblog.com/reusable-grocery-bags-may-...
- littlestymaar 3y agoSomewhere else in this discussion you posted a study financed by a plastic industry lobby, and now from a plastic chemistry blog, don't you see a pattern?
- chasil 3y agoAre these references good enough? https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2827/ https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2827/ https://www.huffpost.com/entry/plastic-bag-ban_n_2641430 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/plastic-bag-ban_n_2641430 "The study, released in August, found a spike in San Francisco hospital emergency room treatment due to E. coli infections and a 46 percent increase in deaths from foodborne illness in the three months after the bag ban went into effect in 2007."
- littlestymaar 3y agoauthors received monetary support from the American Chemistry Council, a trade group representing the interests of plastic bag manufacturers. > Are these references good enough? Well, what do you think?
- chasil 3y agoI think that if you don't want to wash your reusable bags, then you are very much free to refrain. For the rest of us, there are reasons to consider doing so, as advised by the the New York State Department of Health above.
- littlestymaar 3y agoIn general, because they are so stringent, the advice from the department of health don't mean much and are only relevant if you either: - have a depressed immune system (including if you're old) - are a young child It's not something you need to follow blindly when you're healthy. Heck half of the food you can find in the finest restaurant in France is recommended against by US department of health, for instance: - raw milk cheese - raw eggs - “undercooked” meat Sure, washing your bags can't hurt, but that doesn't make a good argument in favor of plastic bags either, and made up “studies” from lobbyist won't make it so. (Department of health also recognizes plastic bags as a choking hazard for infants BTW!)
- loeg 3y agoI don't know what grocery stores are like where you live, but where I live, raw meat comes pre-packaged in plastic, and it is conventional to put it in a 2nd plastic bag before it is bagged with other groceries. Also, I don't know where you live, but it's generally a good idea to wash raw fruits and vegetables before you eat them, whether or not you put them in bags that also contain meat. For all of those reasons and more, I would not bother washing grocery bags.