Reusable grocery bags

Reusable grocery bags might be better for the earth but more harmful to you

It was bound to happen - as more cities in North America plan to either ban plastic bags or charge customers for them at the very least, it seemed inevitable that the environmental parade would get rained on.

Sure enough, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association recently commissioned a study by two independent labs to examine the potential downside of the much-hyped reusable grocery bags. Their findings? Apparently 64 per cent of the environmentally-friendly bags tested contained some level of bacteria, ranging from yeast or mould to coliforms and fecal instestinal bacteria. Dr. Richard Summerbell, who evaluated the lab results says the reason for contamination is similar to the concept of bacteria being transferred to food from kitchen countertops and cutting boards - the more waterproof the bag is, the higher chance it has of becoming a breeding ground for bacteria.

"Something that's a plastic weave, it takes longer for the moisture level to drop down, and so you can get what microbiologists call a bio-film building up ... a population of bacteria and possibly some yeasts, or even in severe cases, mould growth as well," he said. "The main actual hazard involved is if there's a little bit of spillage in there from some meat or some eggs, then food-poisoning organisms could be transferred over to other food."
You'll notice that the study was conveniently commissioned by the plastics industry who undoubtedly have nothing to gain from freaking people out about their use of reusable grocery bags. Surely they're just looking out for the best interests of the consumer. Uh-huh.

The World Wildlife Fund has pointed out there is an obviously solution to the contaminated bag conundrum. "Wash the bags!".

Here's the thing, I jumped on this reusuable grocery bag bandwagon right away when it took off. But this is what has happened to me now: So I start collecting and buying these bags. I even recieve gifts in these bags and I have gained a couple more from my mom and friends accidently. I kid you not, I have about $50 worth of reusuable grocery bags sitting in my laundry room. I feel like they are gaining and gaining on me. I dont even know how it happened. I woke up one day and I was drowning in them, all in the name of saving the environment - BUT not saving my bank account. When I first started buying the reusuable ones I had A MASSIVE bag of plastic bags under my sink stockpiled to use as garbage bags in my kitchen and bathroom. But even tho I converted to the resusuable bags, eventrully I used up all those plastic bags over the last couple months and they all, yes, eventrully ended up in the landfill anyway. AND THEN. Once I ran out of them, I had to go buy some "Glad Kitchen Catchers" for my garbage - then those extra plastic bags end up in the landfill as well, plus i have spent $50 in reusuable bags. Was this bag thing just a conspiracy to boost the economy?? Fuck, I have a rediculous ammount of reusuable bags, and I somehow still keep finding more, friends come and go and leave theres behind. I cant even fucking give these things away. And I still gotta buy garbage bags. WTF! So, the last couple times I went grocery shopping I left the resusables at home and quietly told cashiers that "pssst, yes I need plastic bags" while not looking up to the dismay and judgement of the customers lined up behind me.
And no, im not paying $10 for bags from the Cottonwood Tree, C'mon!!