Posted on 07/01/2012 9:06:12 AM PDT by matt1234
As Seattle's ban on plastic grocery bags goes into effect on Sunday July 1, some shoppers may not realize that they need to wash their reusable grocery bags or risk contamination with harmful bacteria.
"I'm very careful about what I put in the bag, but I'm not good about washing the bag," says one Seattle shopper.
That could be a problem for that Seattle shopper, as she and more than half a million others transition to using only reusable bags for their regular trips to the grocery store.
A 2010 outbreak of norovirus in a group of young soccer players visiting Seattle was just recently linked to a reusable grocery bag. According to a study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases in May, the bag had apparently been set down in a restroom where another girl was getting sick. Later, the group ate Girl Scout Cookies that had been held inside the bag.
Epidemiologist Kimberly Repp told KING-5 News in an interview that it's a good reminder about proper cleaning.
"When cleaning an area where someone has become ill, to not just think about cleaning the toilet but all the surfaces that could possibly transport to another area. So, the toothbrush, the hairbrush, anything that has been stored in the bathroom should be cleaned," says Repp.
Norovirus causes about 21 million illnesses, 70 thousand hospitalizations and 800 deaths a year in the United States, according to the study.
As for those reusable bags, a 2010 study by the University of Arizona found more than half of the bags investigated had some sort of bacteria. E.coli was found in 12% of the bags.
Experts say they are not trying to unnecessarily scare the public. They simply want to get people to use proper care to keep reusable bags clean.
Throwing them in the washing machine after each use should do the trick. If they're made of plastic, wash them with dish soap or at least a disinfecting wipe.
Seattle is not the only local city making the switch. The City of Bainbridge has enacted a ban that will take effect November 1. Issaquah has a plastic bag ban set to take effect in March of next year if an effort to repeal it fails.
Ok, I worked in the grocery industry for 4 years up until a month ago. Let me share a little something with all you cloth bag lovers....WE HATE YOU! WE HATE YOUR BAGS! These things are filth! Let me lay it out for you...
1. Usually they smell like smoke, your dog, mildew, you name it.
2. Most times the are covered in animal hair, dirt, grime from your trunk and any number of other “juices” from the crap you bought before and toted home in them.
3. The checker and/or courtesy clerk has to touch your filth then touch other people’s groceries.
4. Some people who pack your crap have allergic reactions to the stuff they have to touch while you go on blissfully ignorant to the discomfort you’ve caused.
5. They are much more difficult to pack than the plastic bags provided to you by your local grocer. The sides constantly flop in. People become extremely picky about what goes with what and how heavy they are, etc. AND it makes everyone else behind you wait longer while the checker/courtesy clerk struggles with your stupid bags Captain You Planets!
6. You are not saving the environment as plastic and paper are recyclable.
7. If you still insist on using these God forsaken pieces of crap, at least have the decency to wash them!
I actually got blood, yes dried blood from one of these under a nail and it grossed me out for the rest of the day.
They suck and you suck if you use them.
/rant over. Have a nice day :)
Why don’t you tell us how you REALLY feel? :)
Those cloth bags disgust me and their owners disgust me more.
Good intentions must surely pave the way to hell and political correctness is the guiding guardrail !
Haha, I’ve had that pent up for 4 years. I worked at Customer Service but part of my responsibilities was to help on the front end in busy times so that meant sacking groceries. Whenever someone with those cloth bags came to a line I was at, I made every effort to leave for another line. That’s how much we all hate those things. We may smile and be nice to you but on the inside we’re SCREAMING at you.
They can't ALL be blowhard idiot morons, can they?
/sarc (as if I had to say)
Because leaving them home alone is generally frowned upon.
Thank you for that informative post.
I didn’t mind taking the kids to the store its the spouse who throws a fit and trys to put junk food in the cart.
That’s the whole point of the squats. You get strong enough to get within an inch of the seat, hold the position, pee lustily and not get any on yourself or the seat.
Their so-called "progress" is always reactionary embrace of the past, or attempts to hold nature still instead of letting it continue to develop. The best way out of current problems is to allow markets to develop affordable solutions. But they know that. Their Dear Leaders' methods are to use the environmental language merely to line the pockets of the elite Democrat donors.
Plant more trees and every one of those is fixed.
The greenies already forced a change in the soap you use, ineffective for cleaning stains compared to the old style soaps. Add phosphate. Coming soon: legislation to force homeowners to install waste-treatment devices between your home and sewer connections. Shifting the burden to you.
Yes we already buy TSP and add it to our laundry and dishwasher plus we have our own well and septic system.
Ok, so children are like some kind of luggage ? Why isn’t there anyone to watch them at home?
That's COOL. All this time I thought the only way to pee lustily was to stand up. ;-)
I know things are a bit crazy in this obama daze, but my husband would be at work if I was taking the kids with me. I don’t mind at all except for those cheap-ass plastic bags. Plus, and you apparently don’t grasp this concept, I actually enjoy my children’s company.
If you want made-in-USA cloth bags, go here:
http://clothbag.com/The_Cloth_Bag_Co./Home.html
I know the owner, he’s real, and his sewing operation is here in GA.
Thanks for the tip...does your friend have any bags that are named Michelle? I’d buy one for sure!
“Coming soon: legislation to force homeowners to install waste-treatment devices between your home and sewer connections.”
Any links on this. It doesn’t surprise me a bit, but I haven’t heard about it, and try to keep track of these (never-ending) threats.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.