This week, new research published by Ocean Conservancy studying correlation between statewide plastic grocery bag bans and the number of plastic grocery bags found on beaches and in waterways by Ocean Conservancy International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) volunteers. The conclusion? There is a direct and inverse impact: The 11 states with plastic bag bans currently in place show an average of a 29% reduction of the polyethylene compounds plaguing our waterways (and just about everything and everywhere else on this here planet).
The study, which took into account pre-pandemic levels of plastic grocery bag collection (2013-2019), set aside the exceptional pandemic years of 2020-2022 as outliers as, during that period, single-use bag use surged while bans were paused due to covid restrictions (and plastic bag pollution doubled during this period).
“Plastic bags are one of the deadliest forms of plastic pollution to marine life, and sadly, they are also one of the most commonly found polluting our beaches,” said Dr. Anja Brandon, Ocean Conservancy’s director of plastics said on behalf of the nonprofit environmental advocacy group.
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Since its inception in 1986, more than 18 million Ocean Conservancy ICC volunteers have cleaned up almost 3 million plastic grocery bags in the United States alone–enough to cover something like 150 football fields. But that’s hardly skimming the surface of the problem, considering that the States alone go through some 100 billion plastic bags per year , which are, on average, used for a mere 12 minutes before making their way to recycling, landfills, or, yes, a prolonged life at large.
Once they enter into waterways, plastic shopping bags rank among the top five deadliest forms of ocean plastic pollution, specifically for turtles and cetaceans that often mistake them for food.
“The best way to prevent plastic grocery bags from becoming plastic pollution,” Dr. Brandon says, “is by making and using fewer of them in the first place and this analysis confirms that bans are an effective way to deal with this problematic plastic. We hope that this analysis will inspire other states to pass bans of their own.”
So what do you know? It looks like single-use plastic bag bans are working, to say the least. But whether you’re willing to pay the nominal ten-cent bag fee at your local grocer’s checkout counter or you happen to live in a state that allows stores to hand out plastic bags freely, consider still bringing that canvas tote bag with you on your shopping excursions. Regardless of your politics or concern for the environment, it might at the very least help keep your local lineup that much cleaner, and your waves a little more enjoyable, should nothing else matter.
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