A massive study has just proved that plastic bag prohibitions really work

Our world is saturated with plastic that we really don’t need. Simply look at one of the most common and persistent culprits: the single -use plastic bag. These bags are the quintessential symbol of the careless tangle of humanity with disposable convenience. But a new study published in Science It offers good rare and quantifiable news: prohibitions and rates in plastic bags really reduce disaster, by far.

“The main finding is that these plastic bag policies are effective to limit, although not eliminating, the garbage of plastic bags in the environment,” said Anna Papp, an environmental economist and main author of the study. Popular science.

A cleaner coast, one policy at the same time

The researchers, Anna Papp and Kimberly Oremus, searched for one of the most complete data players ever gathered with plastic garbage: cleaning cleaning. Specifically, they observed 45,067 coastal cleansing made in the United States between 2016 and 2023. The volunteers cataloged each article that collected along lakes, rivers and beaches: plastic bottles, cigarettes, food wrappers. Among the most frequently found were, of course, plastic bags.

Superposition of these citizen science data with a mosaic of 182 local and state plastic bags policies promulgated between 2017 and 2023, the team found a convincing pattern. In places with plastic prohibitions or rates, the proportion of plastic bags among garbage items fell on an average of 25 to 47% compared to places without such policies.

Even more encouraging: the longer the policy had been, the greater the reduction of the garbage of the plastic bag. The trend remained firm through a variety of statistical controls, discarding other explanations.

“It was surprising to see that these policies worked,” said Oremus, an environmental economist at the University of Delaware. “There are many things that can happen to a bag between when you get it in a store and become garbage along the coast.”

A national mosaic but the bag rates are the most efficient

Plastic bag policies in the United States are a mixed mosaic, a legislation mosaic. Some 611 policies have been approved at the city level, county or state. From 2023, approximately one third of Americans, about 116 million people, live in places with some form of bag regulation. The prohibitions at the state level seem to have the strongest effect, probably due to its broader geographical reach and a reduced risk of spilling of unregulated areas.

And yet, 17 US states have promulgated laws of “preference” to avoid local prohibitions of bags completely.

Despite this strip and loosen of war, the results are difficult to ignore. Along the coasts, rivers and even lakes, where the effects were sometimes more pronounced, bag prohibitions correlated with significantly cleaner coasts.

“Compared to any policy, its clear bag prohibitions are better to reduce garbage from the coastal plastic bag,” Oremus said.

Worldwide, more than 100 countries have promulgated plastic bags restrictions, and 175 nations are negotiating a United Nations treaty to curb plastic pollution. The study comes as the impulse accumulates for international action.

“Plastic bags are just one of the many types of plastic waste in the environment,” PAPP told Time. “So, bag regulations are far from being a complete solution.”

Tangled in garbage: plastic toll in nature

Beyond the visible discomfort of plastic disorder, bets are ecological and urgent. Livian plastic bags frequently escape garbage containers, mount wind currents until they reach river tracks. There, they can tangle wildlife or break down into harmful microplastics that are infiltrated in marine food chains and, finally, our own bodies.

The study found a suggestive reduction, although not yet conclusive, from 30 to 37% in wildlife tangles reports in areas with plastic bag policies. While the data were too scarce to draw firm conclusions, it points to another important benefit.

Despite their success, policies do not completely revert the problem. In all places studied, the proportion of plastic bags in the coast garbage actually increased between 2016 and 2023. But in areas with prohibitions or rates, the increase was much lower, evidence that, although the tide of plastic pollution is increasing, these policies slow down the increase.

Can we stop plastic flooding?

Plastic production continues to grow. More than 460 million plastic metric tons are manufactured worldwide every year, and more than 20 million of those tons end up contaminating the environment. According to the OECD, that number could triple by 2060 without an important intervention.

One Estimation 2022 Put the cost of plastic waste to the global economy at $ 100 billion annually, largely due to damage to tourism, marine property and biodiversity. The new findings suggest that intelligent and specific regulations can make a true dent in that cost.

But they also underline the limits of consumer -oriented policies.

“The plastic bags and the single -use plastics in general continue to be very convenient, cheap and available in many different places,” coup added. “So it may not be surprising that their general use continues to increase.”

In other words, the detention of plastic waste in the payment line is useful, but stopping it at the factory door can be essential.

While the world is directed towards the Next Round of UN Treaty Negotiations In August 2025, this study offers a rare and vital trial point. In the midst of a sea of ​​plastic contamination, it shows that the change is not just possible, it is measurable. And with the right tools, the tide could be rotated.