February 26, 2011
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Bags, paper vs plastic and reusable
There is a heck of a lot of controversy out there on this subject alone..
I personally do use the plastic vs paper when I have to choose. … ( A save a tree thing).
Facts are there is less plastic bags hitting the land fills than paper.. but there is still that lingering problem of how long thing and they can be recycledSupposedly there are the biodegradable ones that I have yet to see.. knowingly.
I have yet to let fly my plastics. Less than 1% are these culprits… and the rest of us that are responsible have to pay for their lack of their judgement. I detest bag trees.
When I do use the plastic, I get multiple uses.. I use them for carting things around, my knitting, other crafts and sewing. I like to be able to see what is in my storage.
I probably get three uses out of them before they get used as a kitty litter and doggie do round-up.
I have a collection of some reusable fabric 15 bags that are in use..I sure came alive when I saw the article from American Chemistry Council…quoted in a Better Home & Garden article dated Sept 2010 (page 249)
*They collected some 84 reusable bags from shoppers.. Nearly all bags had some Bacterial growth, with 12 %
testing positive for E-Coli. THAT got my attention!!!This article had been hanging around for a few months but when I read that…It took only minutes to get them into the washer and drier.
The article also recommends that we get more specific about use, keeping canned goods, meats, fresh fruits and veggies etc separated.
I have always wrapped my meats in plastic before putting the in my bags, but now.. my bags get a trip through the washing machine before returning them to use
(I live 40 miles from my usual food market.. so putting meats and cold things in plastic keep them cold has always made sense. I also have a cooler that travels with us, full time, so we can preserve what we buy..It is a way of life on an Island .)
Comments (2)
I had read about the e-coli being all over the bags and it made sense to me. You know that when we were in the Ravioli business we had wooden topped tables that they made us replace with that white cutting surface. Guess what? A couple of years later the research showed that wood actually had properties to EATING the bad bacteria and the white cutting surfaces harboured them and actually allowed they to multiply. Away went the white cutting surfaces, back came the wooden cutting surfaces. Paper is wood…I use paper as much as possible and I get dozens of uses for them. marilyn
Wow I did not know that about ecoli in the bags. The thing I think about on the plastic stuff is how much petroleum products go into making some of it. We do try and recycle by taking them back to the store recycling boxes.
Marilyn, I know when I worked in a meat department during college of a grocery store, they used the big wooden blocks to cut meat on but I don’t recall what they used to clean those at night. In college, I remember being taught in meat science class that bacteria could be harbored in wood which is true of course because of all the pores. But what you are saying is something I’ve never heard. Thanks for sharing that. The only other downside to paper sacks that I know of especially in the south is that supposedly roaches lay their eggs in them and so you can transport them home.
I actually like the idea of the cloth bags but have not done that yet. Interesting topic though and learning from both of you sharing about it.