Bans and fees cut plastic bag waste in the environment, study reveals

US research thought to be first to show restrictions lead to reduction in amount of litter

Strict policies on the use of plastic bags is helping to reduce waste, scientists in the US have found. EPA

Stricter plastic bag policies have cut the amount of litter in the environment, a US study has found, which could indicate the UAE may also see improvements thanks to its own restrictions.

The research found that in areas of the US where restrictions had been introduced, plastic bags accounted for a reduced proportion of shoreline waste.

More than 100 countries have imposed plastic bag bans or fees, and while these have reduced consumption, researchers behind the new paper said that until now their effectiveness at actually cutting plastic waste in the environment had not been confirmed.

Scientists looked at data from more than 45,000 shoreline clean-up operations in the US and measured this alongside the plastic bag policies that were in place. They considered hundreds of statewide and more localised plastic rules brought in between 2017 and 2023.

They found that in areas with restrictions, there was a 25 per cent to 47 per cent decrease in plastic bags as a share of all waste collected, compared to areas without limits.

A new study in the US has shown the benefit of limiting the use of plastic bags. Pawan Singh / The National

One of the study’s two authors, Dr Anna Papp, of Columbia University in New York, told The National she was “surprised to see how effective plastic bag policies have been in reducing plastic bag shoreline litter”, given that many factors – such as consumer behaviour and waste management – influenced a plastic bag’s journey.

“However, it’s important to note that these policies don’t completely eliminate plastic bags in the environment but do help mitigate it,” she added.

Fees not fines

The other author, Dr Kimberly Oremus, an associate professor at the University of Delaware, said the results suggested fees for plastic bags may be more effective than bans.

“We can only say definitively that both [fees and bans] are effective,” she said. “And both full bans and fees are more effective than partial bans.

“We hypothesise that fees may cover more retailers than full bans, such as take-out bags from restaurants, and fees can be used as revenue to clean-up shorelines.”

The study also indicates that wildlife entanglement might fall between 30 per cent and 37 per cent when plastic bag policies are in place, although the researchers said they had limited data on this.

Other scientists not linked to the new study have backed up its findings. Dr Marcus Eriksen, co-founder of the 5 Gyres Institute, a US-based organisation that researches plastic pollution and works to reduce it, said the effects of plastic bag policies had been seen in southern California, where he lives.

“I witnessed the 10-year battle to ban plastic bags across the state,” he said. “There were sceptics about the effectiveness, but the data came in from shoreline clean-ups and we saw a significant decline in plastic bags present, not only in coastal clean-ups but in municipal data on roadside clean-ups.”

Turning the tide

The UAE is one of many countries where restrictions have significantly reduced plastic bag use, with the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi having said a ban on single-use plastic bags in the emirate introduced on June 1, 2022 cut the number entering circulation by 364,000.

Initiatives to recover and recycle plastic bottles have also been brought in. A ban on single-use plastic bags has been in force in all emirates since 2023, alongside restrictions on other plastic items.

Dr Eriksen has previously researched the effect of plastic pollution in the UAE, co-writing a study showing that in many camels, large amounts of plastic, including ropes and bags, have accumulated in their stomachs.

He said manufacturers should have to bear some costs associated with the entire lifecycle of plastic bags.

“A good EPR [extended producer responsibility] scheme whereby bag manufacturers contribute to a clean-up fund, in combination with a bag fee, would go a long way to eliminating bag use,” he said.

While the latest research indicates that restrictions reduce plastic bag litter, Dr Papp warned this was “only a small part of the larger plastic pollution problem”.

“Our results show that bag policies’ effects are limited to reducing plastic bags and not other plastic items, so they are nowhere close to a solution for eliminating plastic waste in the environment,” she said.

“Addressing the production of plastics alongside consumption and waste, as currently under consideration in the UN Plastics Treaty, is likely crucial for a more comprehensive approach.”