The Crusade Against Plastic Bags

KEY POINTS

  • An ever-growing number of municipalities are instituting bans on plastic grocery bags in the name of environmental protection;
  • Studies are mixed regarding whether or not such bans offer significant environmental benefits, but claims of rampant environmental harms are suspect;
  • Proponents of bag-bans omit the most important consideration, which is what replaces the plastic bags? Other bags (including cloth) have even worse environmental impact profiles, and pose additional risks of cross-contaminating food and spreading dangerous pathogens among those who share the bags.
  • Increasingly, studies suggest that as with other poorly-thought out environmental intervention; banning plastic grocery bags reduces some harms, while increasing others.

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Nothing contained in this blog is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of the Pacific Research Institute or as an attempt to thwart or aid the passage of any legislation.

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