A new study by Columbia’s Anna Papp and the University of Delaware’s Kimberly Oremus finds “that plastic bag policies lead to a 25 to 47 percent decrease in plastic bags as a share of total items collected relative to areas without policies. This relative decrease grows in magnitude over time after policy implementation, with no evidence of rebound or spillover effects.”
“Both full plastic bag bans and fees reduce plastic litter, whereas partial bans lead to the smallest and least precise effects, likely owing to exemptions for thicker plastic bags. Policies at all geographic scales are effective, with state-level policies being the most robust. Bag policies yield similar effects along coasts and rivers, with suggestive evidence for larger effects along lakes. They have the greatest impact in places where plastic bag litter is most prevalent. Lastly, we find an imprecise 30 to 37 percent reduction in the presence of entangled animals in areas with plastic bag policies, although we cannot rule out a null effect,” the researches continued in their bombshell report alleging that plastic bag bans may be more than simply a woke communist plot to destroy America and make everyone a bunch of gay transgender leftist pussies who hate freedom.