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,
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.
