Plastic Bag Bans Accomplish Nothing But Appealing To Certain People's Vanity and Need To "Do Something"

It's always difficult to do an episode like this, because we're pitting data-driven policy against the honest impulses of well-intentioned environmentalists; the fact is that some policy that sounds good turns out to be driven more by emotion or ideology than by science. High-profile public issues like ocean trash and global warming are emotionally charged (rightfully so), and many of us support policies which appear to be obvious remedies. But the fact is that banning plastic carryout bags hurts the causes it intends to help...

Myth #1: Plastic carryout bags contribute to ocean plastics...

Myth #2: Bans decrease the amount of disposable plastic leaving the supermarket...

Myth #3: Plastic bags are worse for the environment than other options...

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