Are plastic bag laws effective?  The good news is there are plastic bag laws being adopted throughout the U.S. with the intention of curbing the use of single-use plastic bags. However, how effective these laws are can vary.

With this in mind, PlasticBagLaws.org partnered with Scientist Action and Advocacy Network (ScAAN) to develop a comprehensive spreadsheet of plastic bag law effectiveness data. ScAAN’s members are doctoral students, PhD-holding research scientists, and professors who donate their skilled labor and expertise to our partner organizations. ScAAN’s members volunteer pro bono to compile brief, targeted literature reviews, and analyze pre-existing data.

The Effectiveness Spreadsheet is linked to in Surfrider Foundation’s Plastic Bag Law Activist Toolkit and the toolkit features summaries of the findings from U.S. studies currently available.

A key takeaway from the studies summarized is that Fees on All Bags and Ban/Fee Hybrids laws are effective at reducing overall carryout bag consumption through changing consumer behavior.

Read the full article about plastic bag law effectiveness by Jennie Romer at Surfrider Foundation.