Although plastic bags didn't come into widespread use until the early 1980s, environmental groups estimate that 500 billion to 1 trillion of the bags are now used worldwide every year.

Pittsburgh's plastic bag ban, introduced in October 2023, was designed to address environmental concerns by eliminating ...

In this Our Changing Climate environmental video essay, I look at the environmental impact of plastic bags. Specifically, I look at how plastic bags affect oceans via microplastics, their carbon ...

Plus, the main reason environmental groups have focused on plastic bags is because they’re easy to replace. “Is it really just a product we’re using for 37 seconds, for one minute, and then we’re ...

Moreover, they have a lower environmental impact than paper bags and have many post-grocery uses, such as for trash bags and for dealing with pet waste, grill cleanups, and other messy jobs.

New Jersey's plastic bag ban law defines reusable bags as being made of a washable fabric, such as cloth or hemp, with a stitched handle that is designed to be used multiple times. Washable ...

More important, in the last three years tens of millions of plastic carry-out bags — possibly hundreds of millions — have been distributed in Los Angeles. Statewide, only about 5% of them are ...

The problem with plastics Plastic bags are notoriously damaging to the environment damaging after being discarded, while the production process itself is energy intensive. The average American family ...

The bags are usable for years, they said, and any long-term effects of lead may be offset by the environmental benefits gained by not using regular plastic bags.

Sen. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., sent a letter on Sunday to the Food and Drug Administration, urging the agency to investigate the issue of possible lead in reusable shopping bags.