We all like be a bit “green” and one easy way is with reusable bags. Men’s health recently had a look at those bags and the result s were not quite as “clean” as you would think.

Men’s Health: Bags of Bacteria

You’re the type of guy who washes your reusable shopping bags before putting them to another use, right? Of course you’re not; who the heck is? And that might be bad news.

After testing 80 reusable bags, researchers at the University of Arizona found almost all of them contained a form of coliform bacteria, while eight per cent of them were packing E. coli. Of the shoppers surveyed, only three per cent washed their bags between shopping trips, despite the fact that most people also used them for carrying other things, like books and clothes.

Most people also left the bags in the boot of their car, which, say researchers, acts as a breeding ground for nasties because of the heat that’s generated.

So next time you pick up reusable bags to carry a few personal items, think about what could have been in it previously, the chicken or meat from the supermarket perhaps?