Plastic bag fees and bans help limit coastal litter, study finds
- Bans or fees on plastic bags resulted in a 25-47% decrease in plastic bag litter on US shorelines compared to areas without such policies.
- The study analyzed data from over 45,000 cleanups across the US from 2016 to 2023, making it the largest analysis of plastic bag policies' effectiveness on shoreline litter.
- Despite the policies' success in reducing the relative percentage of plastic bags, the overall amount of plastic bag litter is still increasing across the US.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Banning Plastic Bags Really Works: Shoreline Litter is Slashed by Almost Half Where Policies in Place
New research shows that shoreline litter has been slashed by almost half since plastic bag bans around the U.S. have gone into effect. The introduction of fees or bans has led to a 47% drop in litter along the coastlines and beaches, say scientists from two universities. And the decrease rose in magnitude over time—with […] The post Banning Plastic Bags Really Works: Shoreline Litter is Slashed by Almost Half Where Policies in Place appeared fir…

Plastic bag bans seem to work, at least when it comes to shoreline pollution
Researchers find that nationwide policies to ban plastic bags may be paying off, with fewer showing up during coastal cleanups. Read more...
Thanks to bans and fees, there are fewer plastic bags littering beaches
It turns out eliminating the “paper or plastic” question through plastic bag regulation is effectively reducing the number of bags found in shoreline litter across the United States. 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 am…
Do Plastic Bag Bans Actually Work? Yes, And Here’s Proof From 45,000 Beach Cleanups
A massive new study tracking nearly half a century of beach cleanups across America shows that plastic bag bans and fees reduce the amount of plastic bag litter washing up on our shores. The post Do Plastic Bag Bans Actually Work? Yes, And Here’s Proof From 45,000 Beach Cleanups appeared first on Study Finds.
A study in the United States found less presence in the sea and river coasts than places without bans
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