From the Google Machine (via AI):

"Yes, paper bags can attract bugs, especially cockroaches and silverfish, because they provide a food source (paper and glue), a hiding place, and a safe environment for laying eggs. While paper bags don't typically emit smells that attract bugs, their absorbent, organic material and tight creases make them ideal habitats, making it crucial to store food in sealed, tight-fitting containers and regularly recycle paper products to deter pests."

Offering an alternative point of view is "flagellating people"? Really? Does that work both ways?

But they told us to use plastic to save the trees.

Good, but not perfect.
Several searches noted that trash to energy systems reduce landfill by around 90% from what was brought in. The ash that goes into the ground contains materials no longer recyclable (glass, metals, etc) along with various toxins, heavy metals and microplastics. The steam and gasses that goes into the air contains CO2, nitrogen, and other greenhouse gasses, toxins, ash and microplastics.
So, good, but not perfect. And it's expensive to build and operate.

Yes! They did! The plastic bag manufacturers really got a chuckle out of that.
That was then. This is now. The trash speaks for itself world wide. Things change.

The metals are removed during the process, before the ash is contained and brought to the landfill. Glass is silica - the same material as beach sand. Beach sand isn't recyclable either but no one seems to object to it. Maybe because it's glass, in the form of beach sand rather than glass, in the form of microparticles of burned sand? The steam and gasses do NOT go into the air. That's the point of a closed system. The steam and gasses go through pipes, becoming energy, and used to power the system.

Incineration Is NOT a Closed System
 

Incineration is not a closed system. FDAQ response is correct. There is some metals recovery by capturing magnetic material but other materials such as glass. aluminum, etc. go to the combustion process and generally become parts of ash going to landfill.
Steam produced in the boilers go to a condensing steam turbine which produces power. The steam is condensed, recovered, treated, and used again in steam generation with some additional external treated Boiler Feedwater..
The gaseous products of combustion are treated to reduce solids by filtration and liquid scrubbing.
The remaining products of combustion are exhausted to the atmosphere. This stack discharge includes CO2, NOx, so2 etc.
I could not find any real specific description of the actual treating at Covanta so I can not guestimate what reductions are made to NOx and SO2. My guess is not much. Reducing NOx requires catalyst beds , precise temperature control, and injecting Ammonia. Removing SO2 requires precise temperature and pH control and using very specific metallurgy to withstand, erosive corrosive water washing conditions of the exhaust gases.

The non combustibles in the garbage stream such as glass and small metal pieces etc. become the material sent to landfill. Any solids recovered in bag filters and water washing are added to the landfill stream.

You stated that the new paper shopping bags at the grocery stores already had insect larvae. That's not what you searched, which was how bags at your home can pick up larvae. Try this search:

do new paper grocery bags carry insect larvae

and get this result:

The system is definitely not closed. Open for input, open for output. Trash/garbage is incinerated (burned), not disintegrated or dematerialized. It isn't magic, just an upgraded fire pit. As a child in L. A., all houses used to have incinerator in the back yard for burning trash. Cleaning out the ash was one of my chores. Lot of smog back then.

California, huh? That explains a lot. My hubby went to school there.

Thank you.
So, during manufacture bugs are less likely, and become more likely after manufacture depending on conditions like heat and moisture during transport and storage.
Fair enough!

"Explains a lot"? Have no idea what that is supposed to mean. That was then (post WWII), this is now.
Assume that "hubby" got a good education.

My hubby was (has passed away now) a very dedicated environmentalist. Sometimes, in his honor, I still do a lot of stuff I wouldn’t do because I don’t think it is justified but I know he would ….

It's unfortunate that there is so much fake news but not everything is fake news. Where do you think 60 million plastic bags go? Have you ever talked with some of the amazing people who help our sick and suffering wildlife? Many of the studies will list where the study was done. Plastic contamination is more of an inconvenient truth than fake news. Microplastics found embedded in tissues of whales and dolphins | ScienceDaily

At this time my goal is to reduce my plastic use since eliminating it is not realistic. Some of my reusable bags are 5 years old. I wipe them out regularly. When I was up North, I bought several reusable bags made from plastic water bottles. That was over a year ago.