# data[].attributes.body
C - 06-01-18
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Melissa Locker

A -  No spelling or grammar errors
P - To inform the reader about the actions taken against plastic straws

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Here are the U.S. cities that have banned plastic straws so far

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More cities, states, and businesses are banning the pieces of plastic.

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C - Jul 5, 2018
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Stef W. Knight
A - No spelling of grammar errors
P - To teach the reader of the States that have banned single-use plastic.

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A proposed bill, which would charge five cents for single-use plastic bags at grocery stores in New Jersey, hit a snag this week when Gov. Phil Murphy used a line-item veto on the measure.

The big picture: Plastic waste has created a serious environmental problem, with global plastic production growing over 400 million tons in 2015. Because of this, local governments, major cities, states, and foreign governments are introducing legislation that would cut back on single-use plastics, such as grocery bags and straws. However, some of these efforts have been met with fierce opposition.

By the numbers:

Seattle, Washington became the first major U.S. city to ban plastic straws and utensils on Sunday.

California, which was the first state to ban most stores from handing out plastic bags, is now looking at a ban on plastic bottle caps as well as restrictions that would require customers to specifically request plastic straws before a restaurant could provide them.

Malibu, California has already banned plastic straws and utensils.

New York City, Miami, and Hawaii - which have bans on non-biodegradable shopping bags - have pending plastic straw bans as well.

Fort Myers, Florida has a plastic straw ban in place.

Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle all have bans on plastic bags, while Boulder, Colorado; Brownsville, Texas; Montgomery County, Maryland; New York City; Portland, Maine; and Washington, D.C. have bag fees, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The European Commission is considering bans on single-use plastic such as cutlery, plates, and straws.

British Prime Minister Theresa May committed at the start of this year to get rid of plastic waste in the U.K. within the next 25 years. Part of the initiative included charging for plastic bags at stores. Queen Elizabeth II has already banned plastic straws and bottles from all royal estates, cafes, and gift shops.

Taiwan will ban all single-use plastic items, including straws, cups and shopping bags, by 2030.

Vancouver will become the first major Canadian city to ban straws next fall.

Scotland plans to be rid of plastic straws by 2019.

Last month, India's Environment Minister announced that the country would "eliminate all single use plastics" by 2022.

In Kenya, the use or production of plastic bags comes with a 4-year jail penalty or $38,000 fine, according to Global Citizen.

The Al-Qaeda-aligned terrorist group in East Africa, Shabab, has recently prohibited plastic bags, according to the New York Times.

Yes, but: Some measures have received pushback. Some states, including Idaho, Mississippi and Missouri, are considering bills that would prevent any local government bans or imposed fees on plastic bag use, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Austin, Texas had a plastic bag ban in place since 2013, but following a court ruling late last month, the city will no longer be enforcing the ban, according to the Texas Tribune.

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By the numbers: How the world is banning single-use plastics - Axios

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A proposed bill, which would charge five cents for single-use plastic bags at grocery stores in New Jersey, hit a snag this week when Gov. Phil Murphy used a line-item veto on the measure. The big picture: Plastic waste has created a serious environmental problem, with global plastic production growing over 400 million tons in 2015.

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C - Sep, 20 2018
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Trevor Nace
A - No spelling or grammar errors
R - To persuade the reader to rid single-use plastic from their city.

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There is a popular and growing movement to ban or heavily tax single-use plastic bags across the United States and globally. Here, we've collected the 349 known cities, counties, and states to have, in some way, banned or taxed plastic bag use.

Reuse This Bag estimates that a plastic bag has a 12-minute lifespan from when it's initially filled with groceries at the grocery store to when it is discarded. Compare this with estimates that those same plastic bags take anywhere from 10 to 1,000 years to decompose depending on what environmental conditions the bag is disposed of in. Quickly, the picture becomes clear that for a few minutes of use, plastic bags weigh heavily on long-term environmental impact.

These bags eventually make their way to landfills and into our oceans, adding to the 8 million metric tons of plastic entering the ocean every year. This impact every scale of marine ecosystems, from bottom feeders and microorganisms to whales.

Currently, only Hawaii and California have statewide plastic bag bans, with several other cities having either mandatory recycling programs, taxes on plastic bag use, etc.

When you zoom out on a global scale, we find dozens of countries that have banned single-use plastic bags. While many countries around the world have taken the steps to ban plastic bags country-wide, the United States has taken a piecemeal approach.

When looking through the list of cities that have partially or wholly banned plastic bags, it's important to note this is an active area of legislation. Local governments across the United States have plans to vote on a ban in the coming years. If you'd like to use a great interactive map of each state, visit Bag The Ban.

What you'll notice is that there are quite a few states that are missing from the list above. Since plastic bag bans have been pushed by local governments, they may not be a top priority for certain regions. However, one thing is clear, the list will continue to grow.

I am a geologist passionate about sharing Earth's intricacies with you. I received my PhD from Duke University where I studied the geology and climate of the Amazon. I

... Read More

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Here's A List Of Every City In The US To Ban Plastic Bags, Will Your City Be Next?

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There is a popular and growing movement to ban or heavily tax single-use plastic bags across the United States and globally. Here, we've collected the 349 known cities, counties, and states to have, in some way, banned or taxed plastic bag use.

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C - Apr 3, 2019
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Aylin Woodward
A - No spelling or grammar errors
P - To inform the reader of the places that have banned plastic bags and straws so far.

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US Markets Loading... H M S

In some countries, people face jail time for using plastic bags. Here are all the places that have banned plastic bags and straws so far.

The average lifespan of a plastic bag is 12 minutes.
Getty Images / Jeff J. Mitchell

New York state lawmakers have approved a state-wide plastic bag ban, which will go into effect in March 2020.

Similar bans are already in effect in California, Hawaii, and more than 32 countries. Some places tax plastic bags in lieu of a ban.

Shoppers use 500 billion single-use plastic bags worldwide every year.

These bags typically end up in landfills or the ocean. More than 100,000 marine mammals get entangled in plastic bags and die annually.

Other cities and companies have also banned single-use plastic straws.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York legislature have approved a new fiscal budget that includes a state-wide ban on single-use plastic bags.

When the ban goes into effect on March 1, 2020, New York will become one of three US states that doesn't allow these bags. (The others are California and Hawaii.)

"The convenience of plastic bags is simply not worth the environmental impact," New York State Assembly speaker Carl Heastie told the Associated Press. "By reducing our state's usage, we will see less litter in our communities and less plastic pollution in our waterways."

Shoppers worldwide use some 500 billion (yes, billion) single-use plastic bags annually. That's roughly 150 bags per year for every person on Earth, according to the nonprofit group Ocean Crusaders. Strung end-to-end, that's enough plastic to circle the globe 4,200 times.

On average, a plastic bag has only a 12-minute lifespan, according to Reusethisbag, an organization that sells sustainable grocery bags.

Most bags wind up languishing in landfills, where they can remain for up to 1,000 years. Some make their way into the ocean.

Another type of single-use plastic — straws — are also being phased out in some places. In the US, 500 million straws are used daily. But California has banned restaurants from serving customers plastic straws unless they ask, and Seattle has axed them as well.

About 8 million tons of plastic enters the ocean every year on average, though the maximum amount could be closer to 14 million tons.

Read More: Sobering photos show what a week's worth of plastic looks like for typical families around the world

Plastic bags that wind up in the ocean entangle and kill roughly 100,000 marine mammals each year. Recently, a pregnant sperm whale washed up dead on the shores of Sardinia with nearly 50 pounds of plastic in its stomach. Less than a month earlier, another dead whale was found to have ingested 88 pounds of plastic.

But while only three US states have taken steps to ban plastic bags, they're already banned in 32 countries. Here are the cities and nations around the world that are tackling the growing threat of single-use plastic.

Most countries are taking the threat of plastic pollution seriously. According to a U.N. report, 127 countries had implemented some type of policy regulating plastic bags by July 2018.

The first regulatory measures targeting plastic bags were enacted in the early 2000s.
Mike Blake/Reuters

The report showed that 27 countries have also enacted some type of ban on other single-use plastics like plates, cups, straws, or packaging.

Small island states have been disproportionately more likely to enact bans on single-use plastics, the report noted.

These efforts to cub plastic pollution aim to reduce the harm that plastic does to marine ecosystems and wildlife. The amount of plastic in the ocean could triple in the next decade.

Discarded toys are seen amongst trash, on a beach near the high-income Costa del Este neighbourhood in Panama City September 10, 2013.
REUTERS/Carlos Jasso

Plastic bags, straws, and tiny plastic pieces called microplastics collect in giant ocean garbage patches, the largest of which is called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. This trash-filled vortex is more than twice the size of Texas.

Whales, in particular, are at extreme risk from plastic pollution.

A whale is lifted up onto a truck after being recovered off Sardinia island, Italy. The 26-foot-long sperm whale was found dead with 48.5 pounds of plastic found in its belly.
SEAME Sardinia Onlus/AP

Whales and other animals appear to be confusing plastic items for food and consuming them. This can lead to behavioral changes, strangulation, and death in marine animals.

The pregnant sperm whale that washed up dead this week in Sardinia with 50 pounds of plastic in its belly was one of at least five whales that have died from plastics around the world in the last two years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

The first country to ban plastic bags was Bangladesh, which enacted the rule in 2002.

A woman dries plastic bags for recycling on the banks of Buriganga river in Dhaka, Bangladesh, April 23, 2007.
Rafiqur Rahman/Reuters

The country imposed the ban after officials discovered that the bags had blocked Bangladesh's drainage system during devastating floods, the BBC reported.

Nearly two decades later, dozens of countries — including France, India, Mali, the Republic of the Congo, Morocco, and Papua New Guinea — also have bans in place.

Trash washed up by the sea litter the beaches in Prestwick, Scotland, March 22, 2005.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Italy, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and French Guyana do, too.

Kenya has the strictest plastic bag ban of all. The punishment for breaking the law is up to four years in jail or fines up to $40,000. Rwanda has a strict policy as well.

A woman recycles plastic bags from a river near the Dondora dump site, close to Nairobi, Kenya.
Thomson Reuters Foundation/Reuters

Kenya's ban, enacted in April 2017, is touted as the world's toughest law aimed at reducing plastic pollution. Kenyans producing, selling, or even using plastic bags risk imprisonment and fines.

Rwanda has a similar ban; illegal use of the bags can result in fines or jail time. The Rwandan law is so harsh, in fact, that it sparked a plastic bag black market, according to Al Jazeera America.

A Somali terrorist group also banned single-use plastic bags in the areas it controls.

Newly trained al-Shabab fighters perform military exercises south of Mogadishu, Somalia.
Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP

In 2018, al-Shabab cited the "serious threat" that plastic bags pose to the "well-being of both humans and animals," according to the BBC.

Plastic-bag waste reached such high levels in China that citizens coined the term “white pollution.” The country adopted a full ban in 2008.

Unfortunately, China still struggles to enforce its plastic bag ban.
Muhammad Hamed/Reuters

Since then, plastic bag waste has dropped by between 60-80%, according to Reusethisbag.

In 2018, the city of Montreal banned single-use plastic bags.

Shopkeepers in Montreal were given a few months to adjust to the city's plastic bag legislation.
Shutterstock

First-time offenders could face fines of up to $1,000 for individuals and $2,000 for corporations, GlobalCitizen reported.

The same year, Taiwan announced a plan to enact one of the world's farthest-reaching bans on single-use plastic bags, straws, utensils, and cups.

The experience of eating take-out and shopping for groceries in Taiwan will change in the next decade thanks to the coming plastic ban.
Shutterstock

The ban should be in place by 2030, according to Global Citizen.

New Zealand also announced a plastic bag ban in August 2018.

A view of Lake Wanaka in the Otago region of New Zealand.
Ariel Schwartz/Business Insider

Store owners faced fines of up to 100,000 New Zealand dollars ($67,500 US) if they didn't phase the bags out within six months, New Scientist reported.

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern said that school children wrote to her about plastic more than any other subject.

"We’re taking meaningful steps to reduce plastics pollution so we don’t pass this problem to future generations," she said at a press conference.

New York is slated to become the third US state to enact a state-wide plastic bag ban.

More than 8.6 million people live in New York City — that's a lot people using a lot of bags.
Shutterstock

"With this ban, New York’s waters will be cleaner and safer for marine wildlife," Wildlife Conservation Society spokesman John Calvelli said in a statement. "We look to other states and countries to follow New York’s lead."

Interestingly, Gov. Cuomo and the state legislature blocked a suggested 5-cent tax on plastic bags last year.

But about 200 cities around the country have rules in place that forbid or tax plastic bags.

Boston and Cambridge have plastic bag bans in place.
Galiptynutz/Shutterstock

Those cities include Anchorage, Alaska; Boston, Massachusetts; Portland, Maine; and Eugene, Oregon.

A US-based website called Ban the Bag helps users track pending and enacted bans in cities and counties.

Hawaii was the first state to ban plastic bags in the US.

Floating debris containment barrier at Pacific Ocean end of Ala Moana Canal in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Phil Augustavo/Getty

But the ban isn't state-wide. Instead, each of Hawaii's five islands individually banned plastic bags at different times; the final ban took effect in 2015, according to Reusethisbag.

California, however, is the US leader in efforts to curb plastic pollution. In addition to the state's ban on plastic bags, it has rules about limiting plastic straws as well.

Before California's state-wide 2016 bag law was passed, more than 100 counties already had bans in place.
Flickr/Davidlohr Bueso

California's state-wide plastic bag ban went into effect in November 2016. The law bans single-use plastic bags and mandates a 10-cent charge for paper bags.

California's new rules about plastic straws went into effect in 2019.

You can still use a plastic straw in California if you want, but you'll have to ask for it.
Grassmemo/Shutterstock

Restaurants are no longer allowed to automatically provide patrons with plastic straws, but can provide customers with straws if they ask. Violations can cost restaurants $25 a day.

The city of Seattle, Washington also banned plastic straws in 2018.

Plastic straws are on display in a shop in Nice, France, November 22, 2018.
Eric Gaillard/Reuters

Businesses there no longer give customers plastic straws or utensils — including forks, spoons, knives, and cocktail picks, according to the Seattle Times.

The European Parliament recently approved a law banning a wide range of single-use plastic items like straws, cotton balls, and cutlery.

European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans (L), delivers a speech during a debate in Strasbourg, France, June 13, 2018.
Vincent Kessler/Reuters

The law was approved on March 29 and will go into effect by 2021.

"Today we have taken an important step to reduce littering and plastic pollution in our oceans and seas. We got this, we can do this," Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Parliament, said in a press release.

Big companies are also taking steps to reduce plastic pollution. McDonald's locations in the UK and Ireland will soon stop giving out plastic straws.

Instead of using plastic straws, McDonald's is phasing in paper straws.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

McDonald’s announced in June 2018 that the company would eliminate plastic straws in all of its UK and Ireland restaurants, and would be phasing in paper straws by September 2018.

Starbucks, too, announced its intention to stop using plastic straws.

Starbucks will be transitioning to a straw-less lid, which will become the standard for all iced coffee, tea, and espresso beverages.
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

By 2020, Starbucks will eliminate plastic straws from more than 28,000 company-owned and licensed stores around the world.

American Airlines and Alaska Airlines will be banning straws, too.

An American Airlines Boeing 777 jet at New York's JFK airport.
William Perugini/Shutterstock

In May 2018, Alaska Airlines announced that it will "ditch plastic straws in favor of marine-friendly stir sticks."

Two months later, American Airlines said it would follow suit, eliminating straws on flights and in its lounges.

Food-service giant Aramark, which operates in schools, prisons, and hospitals in 19 countries, also hopped on the straw ban bandwagon.

Aramark Tower in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Wikipedia Commons/Sbacle

In July 2018, Aramark vowed to reduce its straw use 60% by 2020, while still making straws available to people with disabilities who need them.

Three hotel companies — Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott — are ditching or curbing the use of straws, too.

The Ararat Park Hyatt Moscow hotel in Moscow, Russia.
Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

So are several theme-park and cruise companies, including SeaWorld Entertainment, Disney, and Royal Caribbean, according to NBC News.

Three months after two of Australia's largest supermarket chains — Coles and Woolworths — banned plastic grocery bags in 2018, the country had cut its plastic bag use by 80%.

A woman walks in the fruit and vegetables section at a Coles supermarket (main Wesfarmers brand) in Sydney, February 20, 2018.
Daniel Munoz/Reuters

That's an estimated 1.5 billion bags saved, according to Australia's SBS News.

Instead of outright bans, some places are trying other incentive strategies. Washington, DC, for example, has a 5-cent plastic bag tax.

Rhode Island residents can drop off plastic bags at local grocery stores for recycling.
Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters

Rhode Island, Delaware, and Maine have bag recycling or re-use programs, according to Reusethisbag.

Bulgaria, Ireland, Denmark, and Sweden all have some type of bag tax as well.

Each Turkish person uses 440 plastic bags annually, far higher than other European countries.
George Widman/AP

According to the Independent, shops in Turkey will soon have to sell bags for a 5-cent fee as well.

Evidence so far suggests that these bans on single-use plastic straws and bags work.

A man tosses a plastic bag over a pile of trash after an event in Singapore, April 28, 2018.
Feline Lim/Reuters

Since San Jose, California enacted a plastic bag ban in 2012, there has been an 89% reduction in plastic bags in storm drains, a 60% reduction of bags in creeks and rivers, and a 59% drop in residential plastic waste, according to Reusethisbag.

San Francisco has saved a reported $600,000 per year in plastic processing fees since enacting its ban in 2007.

And Seattle, which banned bags in 2012, has seen a 48% drop in residential plastic bag waste, and a 76% decline in commercial plastic bag waste. The amount of plastic bag waste in Seattle landfills also dropped by half between 2010 and 2014, Reusethisbag reported.

Keep reading

More: Features Environment Plastic Bags Pollution

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In some countries, people face jail time for using plastic bags. Here are all the places that have banned plastic bags and straws so far.

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New York is the third US state to ban plastic bags. But the concept is already quite popular around the world.

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C - June 6, 2019
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Julia Jaboco
A - No spelling or grammar errors
P - To persuade the reader to rid single-use plastic from their city.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
California, Hawaii and New York have all banned plastic bags on the state level.

Only three states in the U.S. have passed laws banning single-use plastic bags as the global war on plastic production and waste continues to escalate, a new study reveals.

Plastic bags, when discarded, clog sewage and storm drains plus entangle and kill an estimated 100,000 marine animals annually, according to a study released on Wednesday by Reuse This Bag, which makes custom reusable grocery and shopping bags.

The average plastic bag is used for 12 minutes, and shoppers collectively use about 500 billion single-use bags each year, which averages out to about 150 bags per person, according to the study.

"Luckily, we're starting to see communities around the U.S., and the world, mobilize to reduce waste by banning, taxing, or otherwise limiting the use of these plastic bags," the study states.

California, Hawaii and New York have all banned plastic bags on a statewide level.

California's ban took effect in 2016, according to The Associated Press. It bans all single-use bags at large retailers and imposes a 10-cent charge for paper bags, according to the study.

While a state-mandated ban has not been issued in Hawaii, all of the state's counties ban plastic bags but generally still allow for use of 100% recyclable bags, the study states.

New York passed its statewide ban on single-use plastic bags in March, but it doesn't go into effect until March 1, 2020. Individual counties in the Empire State will also have the option of charging 5 cents per paper bag.

Four states -- Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island and New York -- have mandatory recycling or reuse programs in place.

Ten states, including Arizona, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi and Wisconsin, have passed preemptive bans on banning plastic bags, according to the study, which drew on pubic information from the National Conference of State Legislators as well as state-level and country-level reports.

About 200 U.S. municipalities have banned or taxed plastic bags, which has had largely positive outcomes, according to the study.

Washington, D.C., imposed a 5-cent tax on all single-use plastic bags after studies found them to be the single largest source of pollution in local waterways, the study said.

San Jose, California, has seen an 89% reduction of plastic bags in storm drains, a 60% reduction in rivers and a 59% reduction in residential areas since a ban was put into place in 2012, according to the study.

In Seattle, the study says a 48% reduction of plastic bags in residential waste and a 76% reduction in commercial waste has occurred since the ban took place in 2014. In 2010, there were 262 tons of plastic bags in landfills, but that number had dropped to 136 tons in 2014, the study states.

Elsewhere in the world, 32 countries have passed laws banning plastic bags, according to study. Nearly half of those countries are located in Africa, where plastic bags frequently clog drains, leading to increased mosquito swarms and the spread of malaria.

In Kenya, making, selling or importing plastic bags could land the perpetrator a fine of up to $19,000 and four years in jail, according to the study.

A full ban on plastic bags was adopted in China in 2008, leading to a reduction of about 40 billion bags. India passed its ban in 2002.

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Despite war on plastic, study shows only few states have banned plastic bags

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California, Hawaii and New York have all banned plastic bags on the state level. Only three states in the U.S. have passed laws banning single-use plastic bags as the global war on plastic production and waste continues to escalate, a new study reveals.

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C - 2019
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Kurzgesagt
A - No spelling or grammar errors
P - To teach the reader of single-use plastic and what it is doing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Plastic Pollution: How Humans are Turning the World into Plastic

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C - Dec, 2019
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - ABC News
A - No spelling or grammar errors
P - To teach the reader of solutions to the rising single-use plastic problem.

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Have Australian scientists discovered a recycling solution to our plastic problem? | 7.30

# data[].attributes.body
C - N/A
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - GreenPeace
A - No spelling or grammar errors
P - To teach the reader of the impact of single-use plastic.

# data[].attributes.body
C - N/A
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Rob Gordon
A - No spelling or grammar errors
P - To teach the reader the long term effects of single-use plastics.

# data[].attributes.body
C - N/A
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Center for Biological Diversity
A - No spelling of grammar errors
P - To persuade the reader to save the turtles.

# data[].attributes.body
C - N/A
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - The Green Product Junkie
A - No spelling or grammar errors
P - To entertain the reader while showing the impact single-use plastics cause.

# data[].attributes.body
C - N/A
R - Yes it relates to my topic
A - Sybren
A - No spelling or grammar errors
P - To teach the reader what happens when animals eat single-use plastic.