Is your community considering a ban on single-use plastic bags? There are many advantages: cutting down on litter (which has to be picked up or it disfigures nature, reducing use of fossil fuel (from which plastic is made), reducing costs to businesses and consumers (someone has to pay for those throwaway bags), and reducing costly shutdowns to clean recycling equipment gummed up by bags.

How many plastic bags a year would be saved in your community, based on population? See Environment America’s Single-use Plastic Bag Ban Waste Reduction Calculator. It’s based on population, at the rate of about 300 bags per resident; the tool takes a while to load; enter just the municipality, not state.)

What other factors need to be considered? See many resources at PennEnvironment, including a model ordinance.

What are the answers to some common issues that may arise as public officials consider a ban? Here are some points from a 12/31/22 memo from Maurice M. Sampson II of Clean Water Action to members of Philadelphia City Council as they considered strengthening the established ban by levying a fee of $.15 on all bags, whether plastic or paper. Download the 5-page memo here.

• Why is a fee for single-use carry-out bags necessary?

Experience shows that a straight ban on throwaway plastic bags multiplies the use of throwaway paper bags, which are more expensive. The most equitable solution is to add a flat fee for all bags a consumer used fasr to the consumer’s bill. Savings to the business from not having to buy and give away bags can be passed on to consumers. Consumers rapidly learn to carry their own reusable (and more resistant) bags.

• What is the impact of bag fees on low-income residents?

Studies show that low-income people adjust their behavior just like anyone else. Exceptions to the fee would prevent businesses, whether large or small, from saving the cost of bags and would fail to reduce litter and environmental impacts locally.

Scary fact: in the absence of restrictions and fees, Americans consume an average of almost one single-use plastic bag a day! Please try to make every day a day without a throwaway bag! And of course, never go shopping without the needed number of reusable bags.