As towns defer to county, a plastic bag ban seems unlikely

Facts about plastic bags

Can you add plastic bags to a recycling bin?

Plastic bags are recyclable, but local municipalities recommend recycling them separately. If mixed with other plastic items such as bottles, plastic bags can jam recycling equipment and cause damage. Instead, residents should either return clean bags to stores to be recycled or throw them out with regular garbage to be sorted at a waste facility.

What’s more environmentally friendly paper or plastic?

Plastic bags pose more of a littering threat than paper bags and can harm local wildlife, but paper bags require more energy and water to produce. In general, reusable bags are the preferred alternative to both.

Are reusable fabric bags a health hazard?

A 2011 study by the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University in California found that 3 percent of shoppers who use reusable bags said they regularly washed their bags. The same study found that 99 percent of reusable bags tested positive for bacteria, including coliform and E. coli. However, the study’s author told USA Today that washing the bags about once a week and storing them in a cool, dry place would sufficiently clean them.