U.S. coastal areas with plastic bag bans or fees saw significant reductions in plastic bag pollution — but plastic waste as a whole is growing.
There are fewer plastic bags littering U.S. shorelines, in part due to bans and fees, reports K.R. Callaway for Fast Company. “A new analysis of shoreline cleanup data finds that areas with plastic bag bans or consumer fees have fewer bags turning up in their litter. The research offers some of the strongest evidence yet that regulating plastic bag use makes a difference in reducing the amount of plastic waste in marine ecosystems.”
The study found drops of between 25 percent and 47 percent in areas with regulations. However, “While the data provides insight into how the share of plastic bags found among shoreline litter has changed due to policy measures, an important caveat remains: Plastic litter has been increasing overall.”
According to the researchers, total bans and fees worked better than partial bans that allowed businesses to use thicker “reusable” bags. “The study data seems to indicate that consumer fees were the most effective option for mitigating plastic bag litter, though the paper’s authors say more research is needed to confirm this finding.”
Read the full story: Thanks to bans and fees, there are fewer plastic bags littering beaches
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