Dear EarthTalk: What’s the latest on efforts to ban plastic bags? How many U.S. locales have instituted some kind of ban, and have these initiatives made a dent in the amount of plastic ...

The idea is simple: Reduce plastic waste by requiring shoppers to bring their own reusable bags. The reality is messy. Plastic bag bans have spread across the nation, but some data suggests that ...

A family collect plastic waste on the shore inn Ocean Conservancy's clean up in the Norwegian Northern town of Skjervøy. Plastic bag bans in the U.S. have proven effective in reducing plastic litter ...

This is what the data says about plastic bag bans. Plastic bag bans have been popping up across the country for the past decade, but a lawmaker in one state is looking at walking back the law enacted ...

A statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at checkouts in grocery stores took effect Jan. 1. The bill, SB 1053 authored by state Sen. Catherine Blakespear, bolsters existing state law that ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Jamie Hailstone is a U.K-based reporter, who covers sustainability. EGYPT, RED SEA - DECEMBER 2007: Overview of plastic pollution ...

Grocery stores may offer recycled paper bags at checkout, or consumers can use their own bags to carry out purchases.

Nakuru, Kenya — In the open-air Wakulima Market thin plastic shopping bags have disappeared, banished by Kenya’s national bag ban. Produce sellers in this busy agricultural hub 95 miles northwest of ...

Results are in for the first year of Philadelphia’s plastic bag ban. A study estimates the policy eliminated over 200 million plastic bags in the city — enough to fill City Hall every eight months.

Hundreds of new laws were approved this year in California, and many of them will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a sweeping array of bills for 2026 covering consumer protection, labor rights, education, and ...