The Coronavirus, Hysteria & Plastic Bags

Plastic Industry Uses Coronavirus & Hysteria

The plastics industry has gone after reusable bags during the coronavirus pandemic. This should not be a shock to anyone who has been fighting single-use plastic. Never miss an opportunity to spread misinformation and prevent the demise of single-use plastic bags, right? 

As reported in POLITICO  the Plastics Industry Association sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week requesting a public statement from the department endorsing the idea that single-use plastics are the safest choice amid the pandemic.   copy of letter 

“We ask that the department speak out against bans on these products as a public safety risk and help stop the rush to ban these products by environmentalists and elected officials that puts consumers and workers at risk,” the industry group wrote.

The Difference Between the Excuse and the Reason

The proponent$ of single-use plastics are “concerned” that consumers and grocery store workers are at risk when customers bring their reusable bags into stores to shop. The plastics industry, which produces single-use plastics by the trillions worldwide is warning that reusable bags are a safety risk. Are you kidding me? No, really?  That excuse is so very thoughtful! It is also full of baloney.

The real reason the plastics industry is demonstrating this “concern” for workers and consumers is because the plastic bag bans have been gaining momentum nationally, their effectiveness hitting the plastic industry’s bottom line.  Let’s call this what it is, fear mongering by a lobbying organization.This is about dollars and cents and not about common sense!

Not One Study Conducted About Plastic Bags & the Coronavirus!

Have there been studies about the safety of reusable bags and virus transmission? The answer is “yes”; these studies having been bought and paid for by the plastics industry. A study about the norovirus funded by the American Chemistry Council (which supports the makers of disposable plastic bags) while interesting, is irrelevant to the coronavirus.

Put another way, just because apples and oranges are both fruits, that doesn’t make them alike. So too, comparing various strains of viruses and portraying them as alike.

Those supporting unabated production of single-use plastics often portray people choosing reusable bags and a cleaner environment as virtue signalling clowns. They can’t be trusted not to throw used diapers, raw chicken, and athletic shoes into the same reusable bags they use when shopping for their groceries. This scenario is highly unlikely unless you are Greg Gutfeld or a researcher being paid by a plastics industry lobby.

To date, no studies have been conducted that specifically focus on the coronavirus and reusable shopping bags. Not one! Yet Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, with other states lining up, have issued bans on reusable bags.