Reusable Bags and 'I'm So Cool!"

[Kathianne]

Perhaps not where it's at:

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2196481


Grocery Bag Bans and Foodborne Illness
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Jonathan Klick (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=289102)
University of Pennsylvania Law School; Erasmus School of Law; PERC - Property and Environment Research Center

Joshua D. Wright (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=466576)
George Mason University School of Law

November 2, 2012

U of Penn, Inst for Law & Econ Research Paper No. 13-2 (http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2196481##)
</center>
Abstract:
Recently, many jurisdictions have implemented bans or imposed taxes upon plastic grocery bags on environmental grounds. San Francisco County was the first major US jurisdiction to enact such a regulation, implementing a ban in 2007. There is evidence, however, that reusable grocery bags, a common substitute for plastic bags, contain potentially harmful bacteria. We examine emergency room admissions related to these bacteria in the wake of the San Francisco ban. We find that ER visits spiked when the ban went into effect. Relative to other counties, ER admissions increase by at least one fourth, and deaths exhibit a similar increase.

Not light reading, but you can get the gist with the abstract above.

[fj1200]

I question their true real world environmental friendliness anyway. They apparently also have some lead issues.


A study from the United Kingdom found that the potential of reusable shopping bags to benefit the environment depends on how many times they are used before being discarded. Real-world data show that bags are currently harming the environment instead of helping it.
“Whatever type of bag is used, the key to reducing the impacts is to reuse it as many times as possible,” the summary states.” Grocery shoppers must us their cotton bags 131 times to see the environmental benefits touted by global warming alarmists.
...
Yet when it comes to reusable bags, one of their sacred cows, the tune changes: “We don’t see any need to turn away from reusable bags, because contamination can occur in disposable ones as well,” says Leeann Brown, spokeswoman for the EWG. She recommends consumers carefully wash their hands and produce and look for reusable bags that have been independently tested for lead. (4)
Environmental activist are trying to have it both ways. They’ve spent decades campaigning against lead in paint, toys, and even packaging, but when it comes to their special interests, they seem willing to ignore the issue.
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/problems-with-reusable-shopping-bags/123

It will be interesting to see the results of this study when it's done.

Paper, plastic or reusable? Grocery bags go under the Clemson microscope (http://www.clemson.edu/media-relations/4444)
For me, I just use plastic and make sure I recycle them.

[WiccanLiberal]

I tend to use a mix of types as the grocery I shop at the most charges for their bags. I take canvas bags or use a box to cart stuff home. But I also don't pass up plastic sacks. They are reused for the bathroom trash bin and for doggy poo pick up. I think the secret to avoiding disease issues is to use the traditional plastic sack for meat and such and otherwise a washable canvas bag. It seems to work well for me anyway.