Reusable Grocery Bags: The Good, The Bad and The Nasty

For the past decade, we have heard a lot of debate and seen some legislation regarding the ban of single use grocery bags. The push for these changes is aligned with the health and environmental impacts plastics are having. Let’s start with a few facts:

1. Americans use 100 billion plastic bags a year, which require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. 1

2. In 2015, approximately 730,000 tons of plastic bags, sacks and wraps were generated in the United States. More than 87% of those items were never recycled, winding up in landfills and in the ocean. (U.S. EPA. 2018. Advancing Sustainable Materials Management 2015 Tables and Figures: Assessing Trends in Material Generation, Recycling, Composting, Combustion with Energy Recovery and Landfilling in the United States. Pp. 9)

3. Plastics used in bottles, bags and food containers contain chemical additives such as endocrine disruptors, which are associated with cancer, birth defects and immune system suppression in both humans and wildlife. 2

4. It takes 1,000 years for a plastic bag to degrade in a landfill and as it breaks down they become microplastics that absorb toxins and pollute the environment. 3

5. Chemical leachates from plastic bags impair the growth of the world’s most important microorganisms, Prochlorococcus, a marine bacterium that provides one tenth of the world’s oxygen. 4

6. There were 1.9 million grocery bags and other plastic bags collected in the 2018 International Coastal Cleanup. 5

7. Legislatively, California became the first state to ban single-use plastic bags in 2014 and as of August 2020, 500 local bag ordinances have been adopted in 28 states and 8 states have adopted statewide laws. 6 And 127 countries have adopted some form of legislation to regulate plastic bags. 7

Starting to get on Team Reusable Bags? We welcome you with open arms, but there's a few things you need to know.

A 2011 study from scientists at the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University found bacteria in 99% of reusable bags - 50% carried coliform bacteria while 8% carried E. coli, an indicator of fecal contamination.

Where is the bacteria coming from? It starts with placing the bags inside the grocery cart and the bag continues to pick up germs on the store conveyor belt. Then, the bacteria thrives and multiplies on the bags when they are stored in the trunks of our cars.

That’s gross. What can we do to stay safe?

1. Make sure your reusable bag is cotton, or another material that can be washed.

2. Launder your bags regularly with a laundry detergent that contains disinfectant (look for peracetic acid, oxy-clean, or Thymol (or Thyme oil) on the label)

3. At the store, use disinfecting wipes on the carts and wash foods before going into storage at home.

4. Consider labeling your reusable bags - keeping separate bags for meats and vegetables.

5. Lastly, don't store used reusable bags in the car where heat creates an optimal place for bacteria growth.

Check out our recycleable, reusable eco-friendly bags with personality!