Plastic waste is incredibly harmful to wildlife and the environment. Several U.S. states have taken action and banned the use of plastic bags as of 2026.

Researchers find that nationwide policies to ban plastic bags may be paying off, with fewer showing up during coastal cleanups. Ever since their invention in 1959, plastic bags have become synonymous ...

New Jersey’s single-use plastic bag ban has proved unsuccessful in curbing plastic consumption, with a new study showing that plastic use has tripled. Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) signed a bill that set ...

When Oregon banned retailers and restaurants from giving out plastic, single-use checkout bags in 2019, environmental groups hailed it as a big step forward in the fight against plastic waste. The ban ...

Plastic bag bans and fees have spread across the United States, and new research show they're doing a good job at cutting down on litter, although some rules work better than others. In places where ...

State and local policies to regulate the use of plastic bags have significantly reduced how many of them are found littered along U.S. shorelines — potentially cutting that type of waste in half in ...

Plastic consumption in New Jersey spiked by nearly three times following the state’s implementation of a strict ban on single-use plastic shopping bags, a study found. "Following New Jersey’s ban of ...