According to a recent large-scale study conducted in the United States, bans and fees for plastic bags do reduce environmental contamination. The analysis covered data from more than 45,000 volunteer beach cleanups in the U.S. from 2016 to 2023 and showed that in regions with legal measures, the amount of plastic waste fell by 25–47%.
The authors say the laws were especially effective in areas that initially had higher levels of pollution, and that regional bans and taxes produced the strongest effects. They emphasize that the result is confirmed by data and that no other factors can fully explain the observed decline.
This year, 175 countries plan to adopt a global agreement to tackle single-use plastic. It could become the first serious step—not just to clean up litter, but to prevent it from appearing.
