JACKSON, Wyo. — New data has shown that paper bag usage has gone “through the roof” since Covid-19 arrived in Jackson. Teton County Solid Waste and Recycling is encouraging you to adopt the practice of using reusable bags while shopping to cut down on the volume of paper bags and paper products that end up in Teton County’s landfill and recycling centers.
Reusable bags not only benefit the customer (how often have you had to worry about a plastic bag breaking while carrying your groceries?), but they also save companies money who incur the costs of providing paper bags, and most importantly, the use of reusable bags reduce environmental impacts.
Worried about reusable bags and COVID? Strong evidence has shown that reusable bags are relatively safe since COVID-19 is primarily transported through respiratory droplets, and even with a low threat of surface contact, disposable bags are no more safe than reusable bags and you have the ability to sanitize your reusable bags.
According to the CDC, COVID-19 is mainly spread through respiratory droplets from talking, coughing or sneezing when people are in close proximity while the risk of spread through surface contact is very small.
Although the odds of catching the virus from surfaces are extremely low, if you are worried about surface transmission then let hygiene and sanitation guide your choices. Single-use products such as plastic or paper products are handled by several retail workers before reaching the customer, whereas you can sanitize your own reusable bags before and after using.
So please do your part for the community and the environment, and bring a reusable bag when you go shopping!
