AboutCarol Schlitt Expertise I can answer questions on home food safety, sanitation, home food preservation and commercial food safety (HACCP).
Experience I am an Extension educator, nutrition, wellness and food safety. I am a certified HACCP manager and a food safety instructor for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Organizations International Association for Food Protection, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (Certified CFCS), National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Society for Nutrition Education.
Education/Credentials BS - University of Illinois
MS - Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Question Hi Carol,
Thank you for your response and I hope your eyes have healed well. My husband had the same surgery and has perfect vision now. I hope your surgery has been just as successful.
I didn't mean he literally "dragged" the trash bag around the house but, as you said, set it down at each location. Like you, I did my own research on the subject and could find nothing so much even in the way of procedural guidelines for the proper disposal of waste for hospitals.
I guess my thinking is, when you lift a trash bag from the can there are always some sort of residual little bits in the bottom of the can after the bag has been lifted out. Where do they come from if there has been a plastic bag protecting the can the whole time? Even if you wash that can once a month, week by week you will see little things start to gather at the bottom of the can. Who knows if they are bacterious or not? The bag goes in and makes contact with these particles and unless you plan on washing out your can every time you take out your trash there is no escaping this. Double bagging cannot prevent this from happening either, because the bag will still make contact every time it goes into the can. Therefore, in my mind, whatever comes into contact with the bag can be transferred to every room the bag is carried to and set down in. Would you agree?
I know I'm an anal person and I can make some issues out of things but I'm trying to prevent the possible spread of germs in my home to protect my family. :o)
Thank you for your time and efforts into my question. Anything else you come up with would be appreciated.
Sincerely,
Angela
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Followup To
Question -
Hi Carol,
My husband and I are continually at odds on trash day. Mainly because my husband has trash detail and I don't like the way he does the job. :)
The reason why is that my husband will carry the kitchen trash bag, that has everything from used tissues to raw meat cuttings, all through the house (if it isn't completely full already) to collect the rest of the household trash. I complain about this because I feel this practice is just asking for germs to be spread throughout the entire house. My husband argues, "that the germs can't get through the plastic bag." I charge back, "that it would seem a safer practice to collect the trash from the other rooms then take the collected trash downstairs to the kitchen bag rather than carry the kitchen bag all over the house." He says, "that would take twice the effort."
Where you come into this circular argument is this... I asked my husband if I could prove to him in black and white that my objection is a sound one, would he agree to empty the trash in the way I suggested, and he agreed.
So, can you offer me any proof why carrying a half-filled trash bag filled with raw meat cuttings (I'm thinking of e-coli and salmonela), dirty tissues, paper towels, napkins, left overs, and everything thing else that can get dumped in a kitchen trash can from the car to the back door shouldn't be dragged through the house from room to room to collect the rest of the household trash?
Also, it would be very helpful if you could prove why the "trash bag being plastic which is why it won't spread germs" theory won't hold up either.
Thank you for your time and efforts regarding my questions.
Sincerely,
Angela
Answer -
Hi Angela,
Sorry to have taken so long in answering your question. I had lasik surgery on my eyes Friday and one of the things that I was not permitted to do for 48 hours was to use the computer. But now...watch out I can see everything!
Back to your question. I've done a lot of research today on trash bags and unfortunately have found nothing concerning the transmission of harmful bacteria via a kitchen trash bag. When you say "dragged" are you literally meaning dragged on the floor from room to room or are you meaning (as I think you mean)that he carries the bag around the house only placing the kitchen bag on the floor at each pick-up spot around the house? If it's the later, the only way I see that there could be a problem is if the bag should break and the contents are scattered across the floor or table surface AND then that surface is not cleaned AND then you touch this unclean surface AND then you transfer it to yourself via your eyes, mouth etc. You see...there are a lot of things that must happen for a problem to occur. BUT IT COULD!
Probably a better suggestion would be to do one of the following:
1. Double bag the kitchen bag so that when your husband "drags" it around the house the chances for breakabe and thus contamination are lowered, or
2. You gather all the other rooms in your house garbage and bring it to the kitchen where your husband will then "drag" it to the curb, or
3. Be sure to use the heaviest weight (.1 mil or higher) bag available as it is much harder to break the bag.
As far as the arguement that the trash bag being plastic is the reason germs don't spread -- I could not find any information about the germicidal properties of plastic.
Now personally, I don't like the idea of "dragging" the kitchen garbage bag around the house and I can't find any research that supports either one of your theories.
You might pose your question to one of these plastic associations:
Film and Bag Federation:www.plasticbag.com
Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc: www.plasticsindustry.org
American Plastics Council: www.americanplasticscouncil.org
Sorry I couldn't help out more -- I just was not able to find any credible research to support your argument.
Carol
Answer Hi Angela,
I've been thinking a lot about your questions and really think that the propbability of transfering harmful bacteria is really very small.
We live in a world of bacteria, with about only 2% that cause man harm. When you hear of studies that say there are more bacteria in your sink than on your toilet seat, most people think that all the bacteria found are harmful. What they fail to tell us is what percentage of the bacteria found are harmful, and in what concentration. Sinks and toilet seats have rarely been implicated in food borne illness outbreaks -- it's mostly associated with food held at the wrong temperature (hot or cold) and people not washing their hands. So I'd say the most important think your husband can do after dragging around the trash bag is wash his hands. In all likelihood this will remove any bacteria (harmful and otherwise) from his hands -- the most likely culprets in passing germs to our mouths, nose and eyes.
I'd be interested if you hear back from any of the plastic industries that I mentioned in my first email.
Take care and I hope that you and your husband can work out this area of difference of opinion.
