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Innovations for Plastic Bag Reduction

With increasing discussion about the environmental effects of plastic bags, individuals, retailers and even governments are exploring ways to reduce the effect of plastic bag waste.

  1. Problems with Plastics

    • The abundance of plastic bags produced and tossed into landfills is a hazardous problem on several levels. Once tossed into a landfill, scientists believe it takes upwards of 500 years for plastic bags to decompose. Filling up both land and oceans, these bags are also dangerous to animals and sea creatures who accidentally ingest them, often yielding fatal results. The large amount of oil it takes to produce plastic bags is yet another environmental concern. According to USA Today, approximately 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide each year.

    Retailers Charging to Reduce Use

    • In the United States, retailers like IKEA charge a nickel per plastic bag in an effort to get people to use reusable bags. Proceeds from the IKEA bag campaign go to a conservation organization to plant trees and offset CO2 emissions. The U.K. retailer Marks and Spencer also charges customers 5 pence for every plastic bag they use. Many smaller retailers have enacted similar efforts or stopped offering plastic bags altogether.

    Government Fees

    • Some municipalities, from small towns to large cities like Hong Kong, Toronto and Melbourne, have instituted mandatory fees for retailers to charge on all plastic bags. In the state of Connecticut, a 5 cent fee on all paper and plastic bags sends proceeds to local grant programs for recycling.

    Plastic Bag Bans

    • In 2007, San Francisco was the first city to ban nonbiodegradable plastic bags. Since then, a number of smaller communities have enacted bans on bags. Joining these efforts are large international cities like Taiwan and Paris. However, recent proposals to ban or charge for plastic bags in cities like Seattle and Philadelphia have been rejected, partly in response to opposition from the plastic bag industry.

    Other Measures

    • Some states have enacted laws requiring recycling of plastic bags. Delaware now requires large retailers to provide in-store bag recycling. Similar regulations have been passed in California and New York.

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