Reusable Shopping Bags Riddled with Bacteria

Friday, 25 June 2010 | by Pat's Picks

Have you ever washed that green reusable bag you use for groceries? If you’re like 97 percent of the population, the answer is probably no. The LA Times says people tend to forget that ‘reusable’ doesn’t mean ‘self-cleaning’, which is why those environmentally-friendly bags are teeming with bacteria.  I’m guilty of throwing meat and veggies in the same bag, as well using them to lug around books and papers, anything basically. And I’m not alone. Researchers found that majority of bags they tested were riddled with bacteria, including e.coli. But fortunately they also found that a quick wash eliminated almost all the bacteria.

Photo Courtesy of foldablebags.com via Flickr

Click here to read the entire study