Bacteria Rife in Reusable Bags

by | Oct 11, 2011

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Bacteria is evident in almost all reusable bags as most consumers never wash them, according to research by the University of Arizona.

The study by University of Arizona microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba found that large numbers of bacteria were found in almost all bags and that coliform bacteria were found in half of those tested.  Some 8 percent of bags contained E. coli, according to the study.

The findings were published in the latest issue of International Association for Food Protection’s Food Protection Trends.

In other shopping bag news, Hilex Poly Co. LLC announced on Oct. 3 that it had filed a lawsuit against the County of Los Angeles. The suit is in response to the County’s decision to ban the use of plastic shopping bags and impose a 10-cent fee on paper carry out bags provided by retail stores, according to Hilex.

Bag manufacturer Hilex is arguing that the 10-cent fee on paper bags is in fact a tax, and, as such, violates California’s State Proposition 26, which requires that state and local taxes be approved by a two-thirds vote in local communities.

A ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags went into effect in Italy on Jan. 1.

Italy, one of Europe’s top consumers of plastic bags, according to a Deutsche Welle’s report, uses more than 300 of them per person per year, or about a fifth of the 100 billion plastic bags used annually across the continent.

Picture credit: lululemon athletica

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