# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Environmental group calls to reduce production of single use plastic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The policy: Plastic bag bans and taxes

Where: In more than 400 states and cities in the US

In place since: 2007
The problem:
Plastic bags are forever. The thin sacks that hold our groceries, toothpaste, and takeout meals have little hope of being recycled, and instead just might be reused as liners for our trash cans or containers for our dogs' waste, after which they find themselves either blown into storm drains and rivers or hopelessly clogging landfills. According to one 2009 estimate, some 100 billion of these bags were used a year in the United States and somewhere between 500 billion and 1.5 trillion worldwide.
How it worked:
More than 400 laws and ordinances across the country ban or tax plastic bags, according to Jennie Romer, an attorney at the Surfrider Foundation and a leading advocate and expert on plastic bag policies. The bans actually started outside the United States, with Bangladesh banning them countrywide in 2002 and Pakistan announcing recently that it, too, will ban single-use plastic bags. "Our slight change in habits will do miracles for future generations," one politician wrote.

In the United States, bans were spurred by a wide range of environmental groups, especially those concerned with oceans and waterways like the Surfrider Foundation. Plastic bags and other plastic products can easily wind up in rivers, storm drains, and oceans, creating massive floating patches of garbage and threatening marine life. (Activists are already moving on from plastic bags to encouraging bans on plastic straws and foam food containers.) California passed the first statewide ban in 2014, after several local governments had already banned single-use plastic, including San Francisco, which did so in 2007.

While a straightforward ban may seem like the most effective way to stop people from using plastic, researchers and consultants suggest another strategy is working better: a tax on all non-reusable bags, which may or may not be combined with an outright ban on some plastic.

That's because straightforward bans can lead to skyrocketing use of paper bags or thicker plastic that's allowed because it's considered reusable. While paper bags do not have the unique environmental downsides of single-use plastic (they can be recycled more easily and they don't blow around as much), the processing of paper can be environmentally nasty. California's ban, which also places a 10-cent tax on paper or reusable bags, is one of the most extensive in the nation, while all of Hawaii's counties have passed laws that ban single-use bags, with some also tacking on a tax as high as 15 cents on other bags.

This has led to some backlash, including lawsuits from the plastics industries and efforts to roll back the laws. More than a dozen states, typically more conservative ones like Oklahoma or Mississippi, have passed laws that preempt local bag policies and put the question of taxes or bans solely in the hands of the state legislature.

Chicago banned thin plastic bags in 2015, but it allowed stores to use thicker plastic bags that could ostensibly be reused. "When that ban went into effect, the retailers' response was that 'Our customers want plastic, we can't offer thin, let's just start offering thick plastic bags," said Tatiana Homonoff, an assistant professor of economics and public policy at New York University who has studied the plastic bag laws. The resilience of stores giving their customers some kind of plastic bag, she says, was "an unintended consequence of leaving close substitutes unregulated." Chicago soon scrapped that policy and by February 2017 had implemented a new law: a 7-cent tax on all checkout bags.

"That's where we see big changes in disposable bag use," Homonoff said.

A study of the law by Homonoff and researchers at the University of Chicago and consulting firm ideas42 found that after the new policy went into effect, "Customers were much less likely to use a disposable bag, and switched to reusable bags or no bags at all." Before the tax, about 80 percent of Chicago consumers used disposable bags and fewer than 10 percent used no bags at all. In the year after it went into effect, "the tax led to a large decrease in the proportion of consumers using a disposable bag, with roughly half of consumers switching to reusable bags while the rest opted for no bags at all."

According to Homonoff's research in both Chicago and Montgomery County, Maryland, "very small financial incentives can lead to big behavioral change," she said. The fact that small fees, 5 or 7 cents, can lead to a big reduction in disposable bag use suggests that a sizable portion of the population is perfectly happy to use a reusable bag or not use a bag at all, and need just the smallest push to get there. Homonoff said that in her surveys, people would tell her, "I have a reusable bag in my car. Now I bring it into the store and actually use it."

"As long as there is a fee component in place, that really drives people to not want to get that bag," Romer said. "You see people walking out with something pressed under the arm."

In Montgomery County, which implemented a 5-cent bag fee, the portion of customers observed by researchers at eight stores in the county who used disposable bags went from 82 percent to 40 percent, while the number of bags per trip also fell, according to Homonoff's research. Beyond any environmental effects, these policies also seem to be changing the culture around single-use plastic, which many people know is environmentally damaging but still need a slight nudge to change their behavior. Alongside the bans, there's been a surge of public awareness of the persistence of plastic waste and the folly of recycling it.

And these policies have real effects downstream - literally. San Jose, California, implemented its Bring Your Own Bag Ordinance in 2012, which included a ban on single-use plastic and a 10-cent fee for paper, and found dramatic decreases in "bag litter" in the city's creeks and waterways. "The litter surveys demonstrated a reduction in bag litter of approximately 89 percent in the storm drain system," a city environment and transportation committee report read, "60 percent in the creeks and rivers, and 59 percent in city streets and neighborhoods, when compared to data collected from 2010 and/or 2011 (pre-ordinance) to data from 2012 (post-ordinance)."

What drove the decrease in litter wasn't just more people using more reusable bags - although that happened - but also a rise in using no bags. Reusable bag use jumped from about 4 percent of bags, the city said, to 62 percent, while the portion of people who used no bag doubled, and the average number of bags used per customer fell from three to fewer than one.

The Ferguson Foundation, a Washington, DC-area nonprofit group that organizes cleanup efforts in and around the Potomac River, found that after DC implemented a 5-cent fee in 2010 on single-use bags, the number of plastic bags removed by volunteers dropped by almost three-quarters.

But the preferred policy of the advocates and researchers isn't being implemented everywhere. After the New York City Council approved a 5-cent fee for all takeout bags, the state legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo killed it before later passing a statewide law that banned plastic and allowed individual counties to impose a tax on paper.

"From what we've seen in other cities, it's not going to be particularly effective," Homonoff said of the New York law, as opposed to a tax on all takeaway bags. Romer, who worked on previous attempts to implement plastic laws in New York City, described the new law as "disappointing." While New York City is following through by taxing paper, it is not required across the state, which means that outside the city, municipalities might allow for unlimited and untaxed paper bag usage, thus not encouraging overall bag usage to go down.

"We really want people to not get a bag at all if they're getting an item or two, or bring their own bag," Romer said. "I like visiting California to see that that works."
Correction: Matthew Zeitlin is a writer in New York. An earlier version of this story misstated that an estimated 500 million to 1.5 trillion plastic bags are used each year worldwide. It should be 500 billion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Do plastic bag taxes or bans curb waste? 400 cities and states tried it out.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The policy: Plastic bag bans and taxes Where: In more than 400 states and cities in the US In place since: 2007 The problem: Plastic bags are forever.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The most ambitious US legislation to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution choking up oceans and piling up in landfills could pass in California Friday - or end up in the dustbin of history. Lawmakers are likely to vote on proposals that aim to phase out most single-use plastic packaging within the next decade.

The two identical bills - one introduced in the state assembly and one in the senate - commit to a 75% reduction in plastic statewide within 10 years. If passed into law, they would require manufacturers to ensure that all single-use packaging produced, sold and distributed in California is fully recyclable or compostable by 2030. Companies that fail to comply could face up to $50,000 a day in fines.

Environmental groups say the legislation is significant because it compels the powerful companies that have allowed cheap, disposable products to proliferate to help solve the pollution crisis.
San Francisco airport announces ban on sales of plastic water bottles
"Single-use plastic packaging is somewhat of a reckless convenience," said Geoff Shester of the environmental advocacy group Oceana, which lobbied for the legislation. "But we can't just put the onus on consumers to solve the problem. We have to get industry involved."

But the legislation has faced varying levels of opposition from the plastics industry and consumer goods manufacturers, which have forced through several changes to the bill in an effort to make the immediate responsibility less onerous.

Some industry critics have said that the legislation is redundant, since many large producers - including Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Pepsi and Unilever - have already committed to reducing packaging waste. But the bill's supporters say the government needs to be able to hold corporations to their word.

Plastics groups have heavily invested in efforts to lobby against the legislation. Novolex Holdings, a South Carolina-based company that manufactures plastic bags, is funding an advocacy group called Californians for the Environment and Recycling to disseminate the message that the bills would make certain baby formula, packaged foods and personal hygiene products such as toothpaste inaccessible to Californians.

"That's nonsense," Shester said. "No one is saying we're going to be consuming less soda or less toothpaste. It's just that the government and industry are going to have to come up with systems that we can all live with."

It is still unclear how those new systems would work, said Julia Stein, a supervising attorney with UCLA's environmental law clinic who was not involved in the drafting of the legislation. "The bills do leave a lot of how this would all work undefined," she said. Built into the legislation is the creation of a panel that includes representatives from local government, recyclers, product manufacturers and packaging designers to advise on specific regulations.

"But passing the bills is certainly a big first step," she said.

Plastic wrapped in plastic: the wasteful reality of America's grocery stores

Currently, less than 10% of the plastic sold in the US each year is recycled. Much of it ends up in landfills, some of it is burned, and millions of tons of plastic ends up in the ocean. A recent Guardian investigation revealed that cities around the country are no longer recycling many types of plastic dropped into recycling bins, partly because of China's ban on importing plastic waste from the US.

Recycling centers across the US are also struggling. A drop in scrap values recently contributed to the shuttering of California's largest recycling center operator rePlanet, which laid off 750 employees in August.

A third bill under consideration in California aims to increase the demand for recycled plastic and boost the state's struggling recycling industry by requiring beverage manufacturers to increase the amount of recycled content in plastic bottles over the next decade.

The state's legislative year ends Friday - which means lawmakers have just a few more hours to either vote on plastics proposals or table themfor further consideration.
Topics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Most ambitious US law to tackle single-use plastics faces make-or-break moment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The most ambitious US legislation to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution choking up oceans and piling up in landfills could pass in California Friday - or end up in the dustbin of history. Lawmakers are likely to vote on proposals that aim to phase out most single-use plastic packaging within the next decade.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
State legislatures have considered a number of measures to reduce the prevalence of plastic bags at grocery stores and other businesses.

Reducing bag use can mitigate harmful impacts to oceans, rivers, lakes, forests and the wildlife that inhabit them. It can also relieve pressure on landfills and waste management.

While some states are focusing on implementing effective recycling programs, others are imposing bans or fees to discourage the use of plastic bags altogether.

Bans and Fees

Eight states-California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont-have banned single-use plastic bags.

In August 2014, California became the first state to enact legislation imposing a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at large retail stores. The bill also required a 10-cent minimum charge for recycled paper bags, reusable plastic bags, and compostable bags at certain locations. The ban was set to take effect on July 1, 2015, but a referendum forced the issue onto the ballot in the November 2016 election. Proposition 67 passed with 52 percent of the vote, meaning the plastic bag ban approved by the Legislature remains the law. A detailed summary of the law can be found below. Voters also rejected a second measure, Proposition 65, which proposed to create an environmental fund with proceeds from a 10-cent charge for alternative bags.

Hawaii has a de facto statewide ban as all of its most populous counties prohibit non-biodegradable plastic bags at checkout, as well as paper bags containing less than 40 percent recycled material. Bans in Kauai, Maui and Hawaii counties took effect between 2011 and 2013, with Honolulu becoming the last major county to approve the ban in 2015.

New York became the third state to ban plastic bags in 2019 with passage of Senate Bill 1508. The law, which goes into effect March 2020, will apply to most single-use plastic bags provided by grocery stores and other retailers. Bags distributed at the meat/deli counter and bulk food area are exempt, as well as newspaper bags, trash bags, garment bags, bags provided by a pharmacy for prescription drugs, and restaurant takeout bags. The law allows individual counties the option of placing a 5-cent fee on paper bags, with 2 cents going to local governments and 3 cents to the state's Environmental Protection Fund.

Five other states enacted legislation in 2019-Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Oregon and Vermont. In addition to plastic bags, Vermont's SB 113 also placed restrictions on single-use straws and polystrene containers.

In 2009, the District of Columbia enacted legislation requiring all businesses that sell food or alcohol to charge 5 cents for each carryout paper or plastic bag.

Recycling Programs

States have a long history of pursuing legislation related to labeling, recycling, and reusing plastic bags. In 1991, Maine became the first state to enact legislation requiring recycling efforts at retail stores. The law prevents retailers from supplying plastic bags unless they provide a convenient storefront receptacle to ensure used bags are collected and recycled. Since then at least four other states-California, Delaware, New York and Rhode Island-and the District of Columbia have followed suit.

Legislation Summary

State lawmakers have introduced at least 95 bills in 2019 related to plastic bags. Most of these bills would ban or place a fee on plastic bags. Others would preempt local government action or improve bag recycling programs.

2011 CA S 567

Enacted

Prohibits the sale of plastic products labeled as compostable, home compostable, or marine-degradable unless it meets standard specifications. It provides for a civil penalty for a violation.

2019 HB 130

Enacted

Expands upon the existing at-store recycling program regarding the use of single-use plastic bags and limits stores subject to the program from providing single-use plastic bags for only specific uses.

2019 HB 1115

Enacted

Prohibits a retail establishment from providing single-use carryout bags at the point of sale or otherwise making the bags available to customers, with exemptions for certain types and uses of plastic and paper bags.

2017 HB 56

Enacted

Repeals the eight-year ban on the use of plastic bags by retailers on the Outer Banks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
State legislatures have considered a number of measures to reduce the prevalence of plastic bags at grocery stores and other businesses.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Plastic bag bans are spreading. But are they truly effective?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kenya has the strictest penalties for bag use, but the consumer alternatives to plastic have come with growing pains.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This article was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society.

A battle over plastic-a material so prolific the UN calls the 90 percent of it that ends up as trash a pollution crisis-is under way in Florida.

Coral Gables, a small city of 51,000 people just south of Miami, wants to ban polystyrene from restaurants and grocery stores. The Florida Retail Federation does not, and an appeals court ruling delivered yesterday says they can keep the plastic product, in part thanks to a 2016 state rule that prevents cities from regulating how polystyrene is used.

The court battle demonstrates how cities and states are increasingly clashing over whether it's legal to ban plastic.

California, New York, and hundreds of municipalities in the U.S. ban or fine the use of plastic in some way. Seventeen other states, however, say it's illegal to ban plastic items, effectively placing a ban on a ban. This kind of legal maneuvering is booming. Four states created preemptions this year alone with two only narrowly failing in South Carolina and Alabama.

Often, efforts to preempt plastic bans are aided by the plastics industry, which wants to ensure its products remain widely used.

"First and foremost, we represent the manufacturers of plastic retail bags," says Matt Seaholm, executive director of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, a group affiliated with the plastics industry. "We engage at a local level to provide information to local officials on the merits of any type of an ordinance that is being proposed."

Seaholm said the industry is also looking out for local retailers. He adds plastic bans drive up costs, impose confusing regulations, and put in the hands of the government a decision that should be made by consumers and business owners.

Often partnering with local retail and restaurant associations, the industry is at odds with environmental groups that say single-use plastic must be urgently addressed.

"The plastic industry is putting a lot of their money on preemption, and they're winning," says Jennie Romer, an attorney at the Surfrider Foundation, a group that advocates for pro-environment policies.

Eight additional states are considering preemption measures in the coming years that could make it illegal to ban single-use plastics.

When the small border town of Laredo, Texas tried to pass a bill that banned plastic bags in 2008, they wanted to cut down on the costs associated with cleaning the commonly littered item out of waterways and public spaces.

With lobbying help from the American Chemistry Council, the bill was killed, according to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle.

In 2014, the bill was reintroduced and passed by the city. Even the state's multibillion-dollar cotton and cattle ranching industries supported the ban, saying the stray plastic tumbleweeds clogged machines and cows' stomachs.

Four years later, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the ban was illegal, saying it violated a 1993 law that prevented cities or counties from banning a container or package. With it, the ruling brought down 11 other local Texas bag bans.

"It was pretty disappointing," says Jason McCombs from Austin's waste management authority. "We lost a pretty important environmental tool to help protect our environment here."

In Colorado, it was also a 1993 statute that pro-plastic lawyers used to argue against city bans.

For most states, however, no decades-old law was on the books to prevent a plastic ban. Some of the fastest legislative action in states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Missouri have rapidly developed after city plastic ordinances were adopted. These state bills all cite the need to create uniform laws throughout their states, a major point made by Seaholm.

"If you think about a retailer with stores in multiple jurisdictions, it becomes cumbersome to adhere to different processes," he says. "You end up with a patchwork."

When asked why the plastic industry tries to change state legislation instead of opposing city ordinances, Seaholm says it's to ensure this uniformity.

State-level preemptions are used to block a number of other city-level ordinances, from creating sanctuary cities to imposing sugar taxes.

Romer says large companies are more successful at the state level where legislators are less often confronted by grass roots city activists.

She also points to significant involvement from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) a right-leaning policy group that provides model legislation to states adopting plastic preemptions. Both the American Plastics Council and the Plastics Industry Association have been members of ALEC.

The effectiveness of bans

In Austin, McCombs says city residents have still embraced reusable bags even though plastic has been reintroduced. Since the ordinance was put in place in 2013, they've seen a 75 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags in collected litter, and they still plan to be a zero-waste city by 2040.

The American Progressive Bag Alliance often challenges the idea that plastic bans are a truly environmental option.

Plastic bags, they argue, have more than a single use. They can be reused for tasks like lining trash cans or picking up dog waste. Their website cites a study in the journal of Environmental Economics and Management that found California consumers often purchased heavier trash bags to compensate.

A statewide ban that led to a 40-million-pound reduction in plastic waste, was offset by a 12-million-pound increase in trash bags, the study found.

The paper ultimately recommended imposing bag fees, like the five-cent charge you pay to use a plastic bag in Washington, D.C. The fee, the paper concludes, would could cost less than buying small trash bags but still encourage shoppers to bring reusable bags.

The Surfrider Foundation also encourages fees instead of outright bans as the most effective way to incentivize consumers to change their behavior.

To fight back against preemptions, legislators have recently begun to draft anti-preemption laws that would allow cities to reinstate bans and fees on plastic items-the dreaded ban on ban of bans.

Eight states have introduced anti-preemption bills, though none have significantly progressed.

National Geographic is committed to reducing plastics pollution. Learn more about our non-profit activities at natgeo.org/plastics. This story is part ofPlanet or Plastic?-our multiyear effort to raise awareness about the global plastic waste crisis. Learn what you can do toreduce your own single-use plastics, andtake your pledge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
See the complicated landscape of plastic bans in the U.S.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This article was created in partnership with the National Geographic Society. A battle over plastic-a material so prolific the UN calls the 90 percent of it that ends up as trash a pollution crisis-is under way in Florida. Coral Gables, a small city of 51,000 people just south of Miami, wants to ban polystyrene from restaurants and grocery stores.

# data[].attributes.headline
European parliament vote to ban single used plastic.

# data[].attributes.subject
European parliament vote to ban single used plastic.