I have read the letters criticizing the new plastic bag ban in Kirkland, and while I support the ban, I realize it will be a minor inconvenience for some people. But recently arguments against the ban have veered into the hysterical.

Bill Olmstead (in the April 3 issue of the Reporter) raises the specter of reusable bag transmitted Ebola. If this is such a looming threat, perhaps we should ban the use of reusable bags altogether, and for that matter, shut down libraries (who knows what surfaces those books touch before you get them).

And Kevin C. Lewis (in the same issue) raises the concern of food-borne illness to consumers and grocery store workers from reusable bags, as well. He is right that some foods are contaminated by bacteria that can cause illness, especially chicken. However, most food experts caution about illness caused by improper food handling at home, not contaminated surfaces at grocery stores. And small plastic bags will still be available for double bagging meats, even after the plastic bag ban takes effect.

I worked for several years in a grocery store in which the majority of patrons brought their own bags. Occasionally I would run across a dirty one, but most people are pretty good about throwing their cloth bags in the washing machine or wiping out their plastic bags. If we are concerned about people making themselves ill with cross-contamination, we need only encourage people to wash bags more frequently, especially after purchasing meat. Reusable bags as a public health threat, in my view, is a huge red herring.

I do agree with Bill Olmstead that a lot of our food is packaged in plastic, much of which is not recyclable. But that doesn’t mean we should do nothing at all. A lot of waste occurs with one-time use plastic grocery bags, which often go in the trash because they require an extra step to recycle, which many people don’t do. There are at least many alternatives to those bags, whereas reducing plastic packaging and shifting to plastics that can be recycled, is a much more difficult hurdle. The less plastic we use the better. A plastic bag ban is a good first step.

Laura Robinson, Kirkland