City officials in Ludlow, Kentucky, are considering enacting an ordinance which would help to contain potential bed bug infestations. Should they choose to adopt the regulation, Ludlow residents would be required to wrap any furniture that may contain bed bugs in plastic if they want waste management services to pick them up, according to The Kentucky Enquirer.

"It's just to limit potential infestation of any furniture or mattresses that may be infested with bed bugs," Ludlow Administrator Brian Houillion told the news source. "Those items would need to be wrapped in plastic if you want them picked up."

Covering infested furniture in plastic will not only help curb the spread of the insects, but it will also serve as a warning for people who might otherwise consider picking the used furniture up off the street. This practice should be avoided regardless of city ordinances, however as some people may throw their furniture away without knowing that they had bed bugs.

If you cannot throw your bed away, a mattress encasement can be used to create a protective barrier between you and the bed bugs. The tightly-woven material traps them in and should be left on for more than a year to ensure that they are dead, as they can typically live at least this long without feeding.