Reducing single-use plastic shopping bags in the USA

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Policy
• Waste Management

Background:

• Local governments manage municipal solid waste (MSW) but lack producer responsibility authority for problematic waste streams.
• Single-use plastic bags are a significant environmental concern due to low recyclability, contributing to litter, marine debris, and impaired waste management systems.
• Over 103 billion plastic bags were consumed in the USA in 2014, highlighting the scale of the issue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the strategies local governments in the USA are employing to reduce single-use plastic bag consumption.
• To document the prevalence and types of plastic bag ordinances enacted by local governments.
• To understand the impact of these ordinances on waste management and environmental quality.

Main Methods:

• Review of plastic bag ordinances enacted by 271 local governments in the USA as of September 2017.
• Categorization of ordinances into bans, fees/taxes, design standards, consumer education, and take-back programs.
• Analysis of ordinance details, including fee amounts and retailer retention policies.

Main Results:

• The majority of ordinances (95%) are bans on single-use plastic bags.
• 56.9% of bans include mandatory fees on paper or reusable bags, with a median fee of $0.10.
• Ordinances cover 9.7% of the US population, with similar measures expanding to other single-use plastics.

Conclusions:

• Local governments are actively using a range of policy tools to reduce single-use plastic bag waste.
• Despite some state preemption challenges, these local initiatives demonstrate a growing trend in waste reduction strategies.
• The success with plastic bags is prompting similar regulations for other single-use plastic products.