Ten years ago, California became the first U.S. state to ban plastic bags. But over the next few years, the state’s landfills actually saw an increase in plastic waste. That’s because a loophole in the state’s bag ban allowed stores to continue offering plastic bags at checkout, so long as the bags cost a few cents, were labeled as reusable, and were made of thicker plastic. This thicker plastic, of course, meant that each new bag created more waste than its pre-ban counterpart when it found its way to a landfill.
The idea behind the original law was to encourage people to eschew single-use bags and instead bring their own reusable ones to the store. What policymakers appear not to have realized is that it would take more than a 10-cent fee to change people’s behavior.
California finally closed its loophole last month. The legislature updated the original law to ban all non-paper bags from being distributed at store checkout stands.
“Instead of being asked, ‘Do you want paper or plastic?’ at checkout, consumers will simply... Read more
