Skipping the Line? Skip the Bag Instead

Gradually, plastic bags became the norm. Earth Policy Institute states that over one trillion plastic bags are used every year — that’s two million every minute! Even worse, the energy required to make twelve plastic shopping bags could drive a car for a mile. 

How can we solve this issue affecting our environment?

According to U.S. News and World Report, Connecticut residents will now have to pay ten cents for single-use plastic bags at restaurants and grocery stores. This new law, which went into effect August 1, 2019, will serve as a transition until July 2021, when single-use bags will be banned in the state. This does not include bags used for meat, produce or dry cleaning.

In 2014, California became the first state to ban single-use plastic bags for large retailers. Next up was New York in 2019. Hawaii hasn’t passed a state ban just yet, but every county bars them. Another group of large U.S. cities including Boston, Seattle and Los Angeles have also enacted plastic bag bans.