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Trader Joe's incident shocks woman into rethinking grocery bag hygiene

"Am I gross?"

via Kat/Flickr and Mike Mozart/Flickr

A grocery bag and a Trader Joe's.

At least 12 states in the U.S. have enacted laws encouraging the use of reusable bags for grocery shopping, resulting in a significant reduction in plastic waste entering landfills and oceans. The bans, which first started in San Francisco in 2007, have had a substantial effect on the environment; they are said to lead to up to a 47% reduction in plastic bag use.

Given the positive impact that reusable bags have on the environment, it feels wrong to shame someone for using them. However, a TikToker named Kaylen was recently shamed by a woman at the checkout stand because she had never washed her bags. Who knew that you had to wash your reusable bags, or if it was even possible?

“Okay, so I just went to Trader Joe's and now I'm very confused because I remembered to bring my reusable bags—good for me caring about the environment and all—and the lady who was ringing up all my groceries reached for the bag and she was like, ‘Oh these are just the best bags’ and ‘I was like yeah I love them so much’ and she was like, ‘Yeah and they wash so well, too,’” Kalen recalled. “Sorry, what? They wash well? Are we washing grocery bags now?”

@kaylenhailey

This is where I draw the line. Grocery bags are not laundry #traderjoes #reusablebag #laundry #fyp #relatable

The interaction had Kalen rethinking her hygiene habits and wondering if she was in the wrong. “Am I disgusting? It's never once crossed my mind to wash a grocery bag. Are you guys washing them?” she asked her followers. “Is everybody washing them except for me? Or is it just that lady? And if it's just that lady, what happened in her grocery bags?”

"Yes, wash them!!!! I used to work at Trader Joe’s, and I’ve seen gross stuff in the bags. She was definitely hinting for you to wash it, but trying to be nice!" Kat wrote in the comments. "As a former cashier. Some people's bags reeked, were sticky, and over disgusting. Wash or wipe them at least, pls," LivelaughLuv added. "So disposable bags were meant to be disposed of, like disposable straws or spoons. But reusable bags need to be washed every once in a while... you know... like reusable straws or spoons lol," Paige wrote.


Should I wash my reusable grocery bags?

One of the primary reasons cited by Reusethisbag to wash your bags is the prevalence of E. coli bacteria. On one trip to the store, you may have some meat that leaks into the bag. The next time, you may bring home fresh vegetables that are cross-contaminated with bacteria from the meat. This could result in you or your family members getting a nasty E. coli infection that can result in diarrhea, vomiting, and fever. Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli could result in even more severe sickness.

E-Cloth recommends washing your bags after every use if you carry meat. If you are carrying items that are less likely to have contamination, then once a week will do.

How to clean your reusable grocery bags

Cotton reusable bags can be cleaned just as easily as your clothes by putting them into the washer. Putting them in the dryer may cause them to shrink, so it is best to hang dry them after they come out of the wash. Nylon bags can be washed inside-out with soap and water or put into the wash on a delicate cycle to prevent damage.

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A dramatic new European Union proposal would cut pesticide use by half in just 8 years

Recent reports show the EU's food supply becoming toxic.

via World Bank Photo Collection/Flickr

Obsolete pesticides excavated from landfills.

A shocking report released last month by Pesticide Action Network (PAN) Europe found that over the past nine years there has been a 53% rise in contamination of the most hazardous pesticides in European fresh fruits.

The analysis of more than 97,000 fruit samples found that nearly one-half of all blackberries and one-third of apples had toxic pesticide residue. These pesticides have been linked to serious illnesses such as birth defects, cancer and heart disease.

At the same time, Reuters reports that intensive “farming, forestry and urbanisation are fuelling the degradation of natural habitats” adding that most of Europe’s protected “species have a negative conservation status.”

In an effort to dramatically reduce the volume of pesticides in the bloc’s food supply and rehabilitate its natural habitat, the European Commission has proposed dramatic new environmental targets. The first would reduce the use of chemical pesticides across the EU 50% by 2030. Pesticides would also be banned for use in public parks and protected areas.

The second would require EU countries to restore 20% of the bloc’s land to nature by 2030 and all degraded land by 2050.

In addition, the proposal would restore 15,500 miles of rivers and redirect them to their natural courses. It would also work to increase farmland bird populations.

“The aim is to cover at least 20% of the EU’s land and sea areas by 2030 with nature restoration measures, and eventually extend these to all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050,” the commission said, according to The Washington Post.

Frans Timmermans, the commission's first vice president, will help the EU recover its natural habitat at a time when the planet is threatened by climate change.

Fruit plantation near Hamburg, Germany.

via Daniel Lerps/Flickr

“When we restore nature, we allow it to continue providing clean air, water, and food, and we enable it to shield us from the worst of the climate crisis,” Timmermans said according to The Washington Post. “Reducing pesticide use likewise helps nature recover, and protects the humans who work with these chemicals.”

The new proposal would be wonderful for the planet but the fast transition to pesticide alternatives would be a challenge to EU farmers. So the proposal allows farmers to use EU funds to cover the new costs for the first five years.

The proposal will have to be approved by EU member countries and lawmakers to take effect. Some are skeptical of making such drastic changes at a time when the bloc’s food supply has been compromised by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However, the European Commission believes if there isn't a switch to new farming techniques, the effect on the bloc could be disastrous as well.

"If we lose soil fertility, if soil erosion and degradation continue, that is going to be a major impact on our agricultural output," the European Commission's Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius told Reuters.

The European Commission’s proposal is a dramatic plan that could fundamentally change the face of Europe by reversing decades of damage caused by farming and urban sprawl. At a time when Europe is being challenged by war and the effects of climate change, returning the land to nature has never seemed like a better idea.

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Here's why a tree is planted in Uganda every time a baby is born 9,000 miles away

via Government of Wales

The forests of Uganda are under severe threat. They are being lost at a rate of almost 2% a year and from 1990 to 2010, the country lost 31% of its forest cover – a reduction from 19,000 square miles to just 14,000.

Deforestation has been caused by a rapid population increase, climate change, agricultural expansion, logging, weak legal protections, and poor enforcement of the laws that are on the books.

However, Uganda is replanting some of its deforested areas thanks to the help of people who live 9,000 miles away.

In 2008, a program was launched in Wales to plant a new tree in the country every time a child is born or adopted. The program was named Size of Wales because the phrase is often used to describe large areas that have been deforested around the globe.

The was so successful that it hit its target goal of planting 7,700 square miles of new forest by 2013. In 2018, organizers decided they would keep the program going with a new goal. This time they would protect an area twice the size of Wales.

They chose Uganda because of its threatened forests, focusing specifically on an area known as Mbale in the eastern region of the country. Mbale is a large hilly area that is heavily deforested and suffers from irregular downpours that cause potentially fatal landslides.

via Government of Wales

Size of Wales works with the Mount Elgon Tree Growing Enterprise to distribute free tree seedlings to local villagers. The trees protect the villagers by helping to prevent soil erosion and their fruit provides a reliable source of food and extra income.

The program has supported 1600 families in 30 villages as well as five free-trade coffee plantations.

"For more than a decade Wales has developed and deepened its community-based links with sub-Sahara countries in Africa," Jane Hutt, Wales' Minister of Social justice, said in a statement. "This mutually-beneficial approach has long supported sustainable development and solidarity, of which we can be justifiably proud."

The program which is funded by the long-standing Wales and Africa program has already planted 15 million trees. Now organizers have pledged to plant 3 million a year in Uganda to "support community resilience in the face of environmental challenges."

"The Mbale Trees initiative is an example of what can be achieved when nations work together to combat climate change," Julie James, Minister for Climate Change in Wales, said in a statement. "Our pledge to plant three million more every year for the next five years will deliver substantial benefits, not just for those within Mbale, but it will have a considerable global impact on climate change."

Now whenever a child is born or adopted in Wales, two trees are planted, one in their home country and another in Uganda. Every child that helped contribute to the tree planting is given a certificate made of recycled paper that shows they helped make this incredible environmental accomplishment.

Mbale Treeswww.youtube.com


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