Shoreline plastic bag waste drops up to 47% in areas with restrictions

Scientists have calculated that policies designed to reduce the proliferation of plastic bags across the US have led to decreases of up to 47% on shorelines.

Plastic bags, which have low recycling rates, are among the biggest culprits of pollution in the ocean and often become litter when they blow away in the wind. Once there, they can entangle animals and break down into harmful microplastics.

More than 100 countries have now instituted bans or fees on plastic bags in a bid to reduce their environment impact.

The study from the University of Delaware and Columbia University found that plastic bag policies led to a 25% to 47% decrease in related pollution as a share of total items collected in shoreline clean-ups relative to areas without policies. This decrease grows in magnitude over time, with no evidence of the rates rebounding.

Prior to the study, volunteers at coastal beach clean-ups in Delaware were using an app called Clean Swell to track the litter collected. The data goes into...