Plastic bag ban paves the way for eco-friendly options

Several places all over the world have put in place laws and ordinances which ban the use of plastic bags in establishments such as groceries.

The state of California passed a law in 2014, banning single-use plastic grocery bags. Implementation of the ban would not take effect until voters approve it in the November 2016 elections.

Hawaii also has a plastic bag ban, with exemptions such as primary packaging materials for meat and vegetables.

The same is not true, however, for Arizona. The state governor signed a bill into law, disallowing its towns from barring single-use plastic bags. The legislation was met with much opposition from local government leaders.

The Missouri House of Representatives also recently passed a bill prohibiting communities from posing fees or bans on plastic bags.

In 2002, Ireland imposed a 17 percent tax on plastic bags in order to reduce litter. However, the program was not considered to be a success because consumers purchased other types of plastic bags to line their wastebaskets at home.

In many places today, groceries require customers to pay an additional fee if they want to use plastic bags. Not all customers bring their own bags when going shopping and would be forced to shell out a little extra for the plastic bags. Additionally, some groceries do not provide plastic bags, even if the customer is willing to pay for one.

With many locations around the world banning disposable plastic bags, reusable shopping bags are becoming more common. Fortunately, there are many global manufacturers who are addressing such legislation by producing a variety of environment-friendly options.

View a comparison table of selected eco-friendly bag suppliers on GlobalSources.com