Local City Considers Ban on Single-Use Plastic Bags
A city council is considering a proposal to ban single-use plastic bags to reduce pollution. The potential ordinance would affect all retail and food service businesses within the city. A public forum is scheduled for next week to gather community feedback before a vote.
- Ordinances often include a mandatory fee for paper or reusable bags to encourage shoppers to bring their own; in Pittsburgh, the fee is 10 cents per paper bag, but is waived for customers using food assistance benefits. Similarly, California's statewide ban, which took effect in 2016, allows for a 10-cent charge for paper bags. - A study focusing on Los Angeles County found that stores within the ban area saw a nearly 6% average sales decline and a 10% reduction in employment over a one-year period. Conversely, stores just outside the ban area reported an average sales growth of 9%. - Some municipalities have reversed their bans; for instance, Albuquerque's city council voted to repeal its ordinance in March 2022, less than three years after it took effect. - Bans can lead to a significant reduction in plastic bag litter. In San Jose, California, a ban resulted in an 89% decrease in plastic bags found in storm drains and a 60% reduction in creeks and rivers. - The effectiveness of bans can be undermined if consumers switch to thicker, so-called "reusable" plastic bags but continue to treat them as single-use. Research following a New Jersey ban found this behavior led to an increase in polypropylene plastic consumption. - As of 2024, twelve U.S. states have implemented statewide bans on single-use plastic bags, including California, New York, and Washington. However, some states like Arizona and Florida have passed laws preventing local governments from enacting their own bans. - Globally, 32 countries have banned plastic bags, with 18 of those nations located in Africa. Kenya has one of the strictest laws, where producing, selling, or even using a plastic bag can result in a four-year jail sentence or a $38,000 fine. - Alternatives to single-use plastic bags, such as paper, cotton, or jute, have their own environmental impacts to consider. For example, a standard cotton bag needs to be reused at least 131 times to have a lower global warming potential than a plastic bag used once.
