Local and state level bans on plastic bags successfully mitigate plastic bag litter along beaches, lakes, and rivers, according to a study published June 19 in the journal Science. In areas with bag bans and bag fees in place, single-use plastic bags made up a significantly smaller proportion of collected trash compared to areas with no bag policy. Averaged across the board, the reduction associated with bag bans was between 25 and 47 percent. Plastic bag in the ocean A. Martin UW Photography“The main finding is that these plastic bag policies are effective in limiting, although not eliminating, plastic bag litter in the environment,” Anna Papp, study co-author and an environmental economist and incoming post-doctoral researcher at MIT, tells Popular Science. “Compared to no policy, it’s clear bag bans are better at reducing shoreline plastic bag litter,” Oremus notes.