April 2nd, 2020
The virus, SARS-CoV-2, can live on plastic for two to three days, versus 24 hours on cardboard. (Another study that looked at related viruses, SARS and MERS, found that some lived on plastic as long as nine days.) But the plastic industry is also using the coronavirus crisis for the opposite reason, to argue that public health requires us to overturn bans on single-use plastic bags at stores.
…The petrochemical and plastic industry has demonstrated over and over again that public health is not their concern.
To use or not to use a reuse bag? I’ve tentatively concluded using my tote bag which I do wash once in a while is the way to go. That should help with issues of both plastic bags and reusable bags. I mean if it’s just the matter of washing, why not?
As for bringing littered plastic bag back home — since the virus can live it on for a couple days according to the study, and that they’re often covered in mysterious fluids, I probably should play it safe and keep them out of my apartment for now until I figure out some way.
Also it just feels too weird to pick up only a couple of plastic bags while surrounded by piles and piles of litter (South Brooklyn has never been the cleanest place on earth, but feels worse now.) I’ll just pick up the bags with other trash every time I go outside and put them in trash bin for now… Which can’t be too often, so might not help at all, but 0.00000001 is still bigger than 0. Took me only like 3 minutes to fill up one 13 gallon garbage bag.
