Environment

Plastic bag bans effective in cutting use, litter: report

It analyzed regulations in a sample of cities and states across the country.
A woman walks with a plastic bag in Sacramento, Calif., on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. (AP Photo, File)

Single-use plastic bag bans are an effective way to reduce their use by the billions per year and cut plastic bag litter, according to a report released Thursday by a consortium of environmental groups, including PIRG.

As of last year, 10 states had some form of statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. Bans in Rhode Island and Colorado went into effect at the beginning of this year. More than 500 cities and towns across 28 states had a plastic bag ordinance in effect as of 2021.

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