A plastic bag ban or charge is a law that limits the use of lightweight plastic bags at stores. In the early 2000s, many countries began reducing the use of these bags. Single-use plastic shopping bags, often made from a type of plastic called low-density polyethylene, were usually given for free to customers when buying goods. These bags were seen as easy to use, inexpensive, and clean for carrying items. Lightweight plastic carrier bags include all bags with walls thinner than 50 microns and cannot break down naturally. Issues linked to plastic bags include the use of non-renewable resources like oil, gas, and coal, challenges in disposal, and harm to the environment. As lightweight plastic bags decreased, stores started offering reusable shopping bags instead.
Many governments have banned the sale of lightweight plastic bags, taxed companies that make them, or charged customers for buying them. The government of Bangladesh, led by Begum Khaleda Zia, was the first to ban lightweight plastic bags in 2002. Between 2010 and 2019, the number of policies aimed at reducing plastic bags more than tripled. By 2024, rules to limit plastic bags had been introduced in 127 countries. In 27 countries, selling lightweight plastic bags to customers was completely banned, and in 30 countries, customers were charged for buying them.
Issues
Plastic bags create many environmental and ecological problems. One common issue is the large amount of waste they produce. Many plastic bags are left on streets and then end up in water sources like rivers and streams, polluting them.
Even when properly disposed of, plastic bags take many years to break down. This creates a lot of waste over long periods. When not disposed of correctly, plastic bags can pollute waterways, block sewers, and be found in oceans. This harms marine life and disrupts the ocean’s food chain. Large amounts of plastic waste enter oceans yearly, threatening marine animals. Microbial life on plastic particles increases their harm, and wind can carry plastic pieces to form garbage patches in oceans. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, there could be more plastic in the oceans than fish unless countries take urgent steps to manage plastic production, use, and waste.
Plastic bags contribute to global warming. When exposed to sunlight, they release two greenhouse gases—methane and ethylene. Because of their low density and branching structure, they break down more easily than other plastics, increasing their surface area and speeding up gas release. More surface area leads to higher gas emissions over time. After 212 days, plastic bags were found to emit 5.8 nanomoles of methane, 14.5 nanomoles of ethylene, 3.9 nanomoles of ethane, and 9.7 nanomoles of propylene per gram per day.
Plastic bags harm wildlife in two main ways: entanglement and ingestion. Animals can get trapped in plastic and drown. Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by animals, leading to blocked intestines and death from starvation. They can also clog drains, trap birds, and harm livestock. The World Wide Fund for Nature reports that over 100,000 whales, seals, and turtles die yearly from eating or being trapped by plastic bags. In India, about 20 cows die daily from ingesting plastic bags that block their digestive systems. In Africa, clogged sewers from plastic bags increase mosquito populations, leading to more malaria cases. In China, the term "white pollution" describes the environmental impact of discarded plastic bags.
Lightweight plastic bags can blow into trees and plants, where they may be mistaken for food. Plastic bags break down through polymer degradation, not biodegradation, releasing harmful chemicals like flame retardants and plasticizers into the environment. These chemicals can harm the endocrine systems of living organisms, which control many bodily functions. Studies show that the average lifespan of a plastic bag is about 20 years.
Plastic bags dumped in the Pacific Ocean can end up in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. About 80% of the plastic waste in this area comes from land, while the rest comes from oil platforms and ships. Marine animals may eat the plastic, blocking their breathing and digestive systems. Plastic bags not only contribute to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch but can also wash ashore around the world.
Methods
The two most common ways to reduce the use of lightweight plastic bags are charging customers and banning them. Other methods have also been found to work well.
Lightweight plastic charges are taxes, fees, or extra costs added to the price of single-use plastic bags when sold to customers. As of 2018, 30 countries charged customers for buying lightweight carrier bags. This method reduces plastic bag use as effectively as a ban, but it also creates a new source of money. Unlike a ban, it allows customers to still choose whether to buy plastic bags.
Lightweight plastic bans stop stores from selling or giving out single-use plastic bags to customers. As of 2018, 27 countries had completely banned the sale of lightweight plastic bags. While this method is very effective at reducing plastic bag use, it can lead to more use of other plastic bags that are slightly thicker. These thicker bags are still often thrown away by people, which increases pollution.
Some countries tax the companies that make lightweight plastic bags instead of charging customers. As of 2018, 27 countries taxed the production of plastic bags, and 63 countries required companies to take responsibility for recycling these bags after they are sold. This means companies must help pay for recycling programs or change how their bags are designed. This is the only method that places the responsibility on companies, not customers.
Recycling is another way to reduce plastic bag use. However, only 5% of plastic bags are sent to recycling centers. Even when bags are taken to recycling centers, they often fall out of bins or trucks and become litter. Recycling is also difficult because different bags are made from types of plastic that look similar. Some bags are made from bioplastics or biodegradable plastics. If these bags are mixed in composting, they can ruin the compost. They can also cause problems in recycling machines when mixed with other plastics, which can cost money to fix. For example, in San Jose, California, fixing these problems cost about $1 million each year.
Impact
Around the world, rules about plastic bags have helped reduce their use. After governments started charging fees for lightweight plastic bags, usage dropped significantly.
A 2018 study in the American Economic Journal: Economic Policy found that a five-cent tax on disposable bags reduced their use by 40%. A 2019 review of research showed that taxes and fees led to a 66% drop in usage in Denmark, 74% to 90% in South Africa, Belgium, Hong Kong, Washington D.C., Santa Barbara, and the UK, and about 50% in Botswana and China.
In Ireland, a €0.15 fee on plastic bags introduced in 2002 caused a 90% drop in use within weeks, and the policy had strong public support. Portugal’s 2015 tax also reduced plastic bag use, as people began using reusable bags. In Seattle, a city-wide ban between 2010 and 2014 cut single-use plastic bags in residential waste by 50%, even as the population grew by 10%.
In Kenya, a 2017 ban on plastic bags had support from about 67% of people, who used more reusable bags and noticed cleaner streets and better waste management. However, in Sweden, ending a tax on single-use plastic bags in 2024 raised concerns that plastic use might increase again, even though the tax had reduced usage by 75% from 2020 to 2021.
Some studies found unexpected results. In California, a ban on thin plastic bags led to more use of thicker, unregulated bags, which reduced some environmental benefits. A rule allowing thicker bags to be sold for a fee also increased plastic waste because these bags were often not reused.
While rules about plastic bags can greatly reduce their use, how much they help the environment depends on how the rules are created, how well they are followed, and how people act.
Criticism
Plastic bag bans can create larger black markets for plastic bags. Research shows that these bans may reduce the use of thin plastic bags, but they can also increase the use of unregulated single-use paper bags or thicker plastic bags in places where these are given for free. Additionally, these bans can lead to more sales of trash bags because people can no longer reuse old grocery bags for tasks like lining small trash cans.
Thicker reusable bags meant to replace single-use bags can be recycled. However, they need a special recycling process and must be separated from other household recyclables. About 6% of plastic bags are recycled. This can result in more plastic waste overall from plastic bags.
Making some non-plastic bags, such as paper or cotton, or using virgin plastic with a thickness of 50 microns, may produce more greenhouse gas emissions than plastic bags. This could mean that banning plastic bags might not always reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Alternatives to plastic bags would need to be reused over 100 times to be more environmentally friendly than plastic bags. These alternatives are also seen as less sanitary because they might carry germs from outside stores to high-contact surfaces like shopping carts and checkout stands.
The success of single-use plastic bag rules and whether they are used depends on how consumers respond. People’s reactions to these rules vary by region and type of policy. In Kenya, the 2017 plastic bag ban had support from about 67% of consumers, who reported using more reusable bags and noticing better cleanliness and waste management. In contrast, some people in the United States have not liked restrictions on plastic bags. For example, Kroger’s plan to stop using plastic bags by 2025 faced complaints from shoppers who found the alternatives less strong and less practical.
Legislation around the world
In 2007 and 2011, Kenya tried to stop making and bringing in plastic bags to protect the environment. These rules focused on very thin plastic bags, but they did not work because businesses and stores said they would have to charge customers more for other materials. In 2017, Kenya’s Environment Cabinet Secretary, Judi Wakhungu, banned all plastic bags used for packaging in stores and homes. This rule started on August 28, 2017. Bags used for medical waste, trash bags, and garbage bins were not included in the ban. The rule is considered one of the strictest in the world, with fines of up to $40,000 or four years in prison for breaking it.
In 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta strengthened Kenya’s efforts to reduce plastic waste by banning single-use plastics in protected areas like national parks, beaches, and forests. This rule began on June 5, 2020.
In May 2019, Nigeria’s House of Representatives banned the making, importing, and using of plastic bags in the country.
Rwanda banned plastic bags in 2008. The government encouraged other countries in the region to do the same starting in 2011.
In Somaliland, a self-declared republic, plastic bags were banned on March 1, 2005, after a 120-day period for people to use up their existing supplies. The government announced the rule in a decree titled “Banning importation, production, and use of plastic bags in the country.” Plastic bags were called “the Hargeysa flower” because they often got stuck in trees and shrubs, harming animals that ate them. In 2015, the ban was repeated with another 120-day grace period. To enforce the rule, the government sent teams to check businesses in markets and shopping centers. At least 1,000 people in uniform were deployed to these areas. Fines were given to anyone who continued selling plastic bags.
Before 2004, plastic bags were a big problem in South Africa. Instead of banning them, the government introduced a tax on manufacturers of plastic bags. Thicker bags cost more, but this did not stop people from using them. Over time, the use of plastic bags increased again, reaching billions of bags each year.
In 2005, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar banned plastic bags. Tanzania planned to ban them nationwide in 2006, but the rule was delayed for over ten years. It finally started on June 1, 2019.
In 2017, Tunisia banned plastic bags in supermarkets starting March 1. The Ministry of Local Affairs and Environment worked with large stores to reduce plastic use. Activists are planning campaigns to promote greener policies.
In 2007, Uganda passed laws to ban thin plastic bags under 30 microns thick and charge high taxes on thicker bags. The rules started in September 2007, but they were not enforced well and did not reduce plastic use much.
In 2002, Bangladesh banned plastic bags after floods caused by plastic waste flooded two-thirds of the country between 1988 and 1998. Plastic bags still cause problems in sewers and waterways.
In 2017, Cambodia passed a law to tax plastic bags. Supermarkets charge customers 10 US cents per plastic bag if they need one.
In 2008, China banned ultra-thin plastic bags and charged fees for others. This was because of problems with sewers and waste. A 2009 survey showed that plastic bag use in supermarkets dropped by 60 to 80%, and 40 billion fewer bags were used. However, street vendors and small stores did not follow the rule, and plastic use remained high.
The term “white pollution” is used in China and parts of South Asia to describe the visible waste from white plastic bags, foam containers, and other light-colored materials found in fields, landscapes, and waterways. This term was first used in official language in 1999 when the government started banning plastic bags.
In Hong Kong, retailers cannot give free plastic bags under a certain thickness. A 50-cent fee for plastic bags was introduced in 2015. After this, the use of plastic bags dropped by 90%.
In 2002, India banned thin plastic bags below 20 microns to stop them from clogging sewers and to prevent cows from eating them. However, enforcing this rule has been difficult.
In 2016, India’s Environment Ministry banned all polythene bags under 50 microns. But because this rule was not followed well, some states and cities created their own rules.
In 2016, Sikkim, India’s first fully organic state, banned plastic water bottles and polystyrene food containers in government events.
Himachal Pradesh was the first Indian state to ban plastic bags under 30 microns. Karnataka became the first state to ban all plastic carry bags, banners, and other plastic items. Goa banned plastic bags up to 40 microns thick, and Mumbai banned bags thinner than 50 microns.
In 2018, Maharashtra banned plastic, and in 2019, Tamil Nadu banned it as well.
In 2016, Indonesia’s Environment Ministry required 23 cities to charge customers between Rp.200 and Rp.5,000 for each plastic bag, including degradable ones. Money from this tax helps manage waste.
In July 2019, Bali banned single-use plastic bags, straws, and styrofoam.