In 2016, Californians voted to ban single-use plastic bags. It was the first state to do so. Since then, cities across the country have passed bag laws—from Austin, Texas, to Seattle, Washington. So have the territories of Puerto Rico and American Samoa. Cities like Portland, Maine, have fees on single-use plastic bags to encourage consumers to skip the single-use version and invest in a reusable bag.
Reducing plastic bag use helps protect the environment. When plastic bags break down in landfills, they release toxic chemicals into the soil. These chemicals can trickle back into the water supply. More than 8 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean each year—including plastic bags. Many marine animals, like sea turtles, mistake bags for food and choke on them.