Letters to the Editor

Letter: Plastic bags are no COVID-19 panacea

In the midst of a pandemic and all the other problems Alaska is facing right now, maybe you’ve noticed one good thing: This is the first breakup where we are able to enjoy the scenery without the usual fresh crop of plastic bags dangling from trees. Mr. William Evans, in his recent op-ed (ADN, May 4), failed to provide one good reason to rescind the bag ban and return to the mess and pollution of plastic bag litter.

Plastic bags will not protect anyone from the coronavirus. When a checker bags your groceries, they are handling that plastic bag with the same hands that have touched items handled by countless other shoppers. The bag is as contaminated as any other item you will bring home from the store. Personally, I have stopped bringing reusable bags, and simply put the groceries back into the shopping cart after they are rung up, like at Costco. Disposable bags, either paper or plastic, are wasteful, unnecessary and will do nothing to protect us from the coronavirus.

— Carol Montgomery

Chair, Plastic Bag Committee, Mat-Su Zero Waste Coalition

Palmer

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