Yes, those plastic-bag bans are every bit as stupid as critics warned: Not only a huge pain for consumers, but a loser for the environment, too.
The bans were always based on sentiment (even superstition): The enviro-conscious feeling that they’re wasteful.
But now a California study by pro -ban study researchers proves the state’s decade-old law against single-use plastic bags has people blowing through more plastic than ever.
The smoking gun: The weight of discarded plastic bags rose by nearly 74,000 tons (the highest level on record) since Cali passed the law in 2014.
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It’s not just the Golden State: A recent study in New Jersey found that plastic consumption at checkouts had nearly tripled since the Garden State banned single-use plastic bags in 2020.
Why? Shoppers suddenly saw their convenient, thin plastic bags replaced by thicker bags they had to buy at the register — also made of plastic.