Banning Plastic Bags Really Works: Shoreline Litter is Slashed by Almost Half Where Policies in Place

Banning Plastic Bags Really Works: Shoreline Litter is Slashed by Almost Half Where Policies in Place

Banning Plastic Bags Really Works: Shoreline Litter is Slashed by Almost Half Where Policies in Place Ocean Conservancy volunteer removes plastic bag from Venice Beach in Los Angeles – Credit: Val Vega for Ocean Conservancy New research shows that shoreline litter has been slashed by almost half since plastic bag bans around the U.S. have gone into effect. The introduction of fees or bans has led to a 47% drop in litter along the coastlines and beaches, say scientists from two universities. And the decrease rose in magnitude over time—with no evidence of the rates returning to previous levels. More than 100 countries have now introduced bans or fees for plastic bags, which are among the worst culprits of plastic pollution in the ocean, entangling birds and marine life and breaking down into harmful microplastics. But what effect those policies were having on the amount of plastic litter in the marine environment had not been fully evaluated until a new study published in the journal Science …