Last week, more than 100 scientists published a
signed statement to reassure the public that reusable containers are safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. It says that "available evidence indicates that
the virus spreads primarily from inhaling aerosolized droplets, rather than through contact with surfaces.”
Madison and the Chathams banned plastic bags at checkout on March 1. The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) has been advocating to keep bans strictly enforced. They say that “There is no rational reason anyone should think using a clean reusable bag from home is less safe than a single-use plastic one from the store. With clean reusable bags there is a clear chain of custody; individuals carry, pack, and clean their own bags, whereas an untold number of people handle the bundles of single-use bags.”
Drew University professor and Madison resident Lisa Jordan is one of the experts who signed the statement, which she calls "a helpful assurance from the public health community that we can continue to use reusable items responsibly with no additional risk from Coronavirus. The misunderstanding that single-use plastics are healthful needs to change. Plastic materials introduce health harms into the air, ground and water throughout the entire product life cycle: extraction, processing, distribution and disposal."
