Latest news with #shorelinecleanup
CBS News
19 hours ago
- General
- CBS News
Do plastic bag bans and fees work? A new study says policies curb litter
State and local policies to regulate the use of plastic bags have significantly reduced how many of them are found littered along U.S. shorelines — potentially cutting that type of waste in half in certain places, a new study published Thursday in the journal Science found. More than 600 bag policies, along with records from more than 45,000 shoreline cleanups between 2017 and 2023, were reviewed by researchers to see whether implementing bans or fees on plastic bags led to fewer discarded bags found near coastlines, rivers and lakes – and if they did, to what extent. Co-authors environmental economist Anna Papp and Kimberly Oremus, a marine science and policy professor at the University of Delaware, found that the number of plastic bags collected as shoreline litter in places with bag policies dropped by at least 25%, and up to 47% over six years than in locations that did not have regulations. "When we found the database that had information on different shoreline cleanups, we realized we could look at the composition of litter before and after a policy to see what effect it had," Oremus said in a statement. "And then we could compare that to places that never got a plastic bag policy." These results bring fresh insights to an issue that gained prominence over the last decade or so, as awareness spread about the harms of plastic pollution and its threats to marine environments. Oremus said it's the first attempt to comprehensively review the effectiveness of plastic bag policies on shoreline litter, using a database of global shoreline cleanup initiatives from the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy. A plastic bag on the banks of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2019. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images Since 2018, more than 100 countries around the world have implemented some form of policy to either ban or limit the use of plastic bags, according to a report by the United Nations Environment Program. The U.S. doesn't have a federal bag policy, but individual towns, cities and states have policies of their own. Some states, like New York, have completely banned retailers from distributing plastic bags. Others, like Washington, passed partial bans in recent years, where thinner plastic bags deemed "single use" are prohibited, but thicker plastic bags are not. Oremus and Papp noted in the study that, although those thicker bags are usually considered "reusable" under partial bans, "there is evidence that some consumers still treat them as single-use." In multiple states without bans, local jurisdictions such as counties have taken steps to regulate plastic bag use. For example, Arlington County, Virginia, requires stores to collect a fee from customers who purchase plastic bags, at 5 cents per bag. But 17 states prevent plastic bag regulations even at the county level, with statewide "preemption" laws in place to ensure the distribution of these bags isn't regulated at all. During the study period, plastic bag litter was collected less often in shoreline cleanups that took place in areas where some form of regulation existed to curb their distribution and use, the authors said. "Our findings make clear that plastic bag policies have been broadly effective in limiting—but not eliminating—shoreline plastic bag debris in jurisdictions where it was previously prevalent," Oremus and Papp wrote in the study. They also found evidence that suggests fees on plastic bags are more effective at limiting shoreline litter than bans, especially partial bans, but understanding why would require more research.
New York Times
21 hours ago
- Science
- New York Times
Banning Plastic Bags Works to Limit Shoreline Litter, Study Finds
At tens of thousands of shoreline cleanups across the United States in recent years, volunteers logged each piece of litter they pulled from the edges of lakes, rivers and beaches into a global database. One of the most common entries? Plastic bags. But in places throughout the United States where plastic bags require a fee or have been banned, fewer bags end up at the water's edge, according to research published Thursday in Science. Lightweight and abundant, thin plastic bags often slip out of trash cans and recycling bins, travel in the wind and end up in bodies of water, where they pose serious risks to wildlife, which can become entangled or ingest them. They also break down into harmful microplastics, which have been found nearly everywhere on Earth. Using data complied by the nonprofit Ocean Conservancy, researchers analyzed results from 45,067 shoreline cleanups between 2016 to 2023, along with a sample of 182 local and state policies enacted to regulate plastic shopping bags between 2017 and 2023. They found areas that adopted plastic bag policies saw a 25 to 47 percent reduction in the share of plastic bag litter on shorelines, when compared with areas without policies. The longer a policy was in place, the greater the reduction. 'These policies are effective, especially in areas with high concentrations of plastic litter,' said Anna Papp, one of the authors and an environmental economist and postdoctoral associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Nova Scotia funding coastal cleanup projects
The Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture is once again offering funding to members of the seafood industry, community groups and other organizations to support shoreline cleanup projects. Funding is available through the Marine Debris Clean-up Program for: shoreline cleanups – up to a maximum of $2,000 per event; applications will be accepted until Feb. 1, 2026, or until all available funds are allocated litter prevention projects – up to 50 per cent of eligible costs, to a maximum of $3,000 per project; applications are open until June 30 marine debris recycling – up to 50 per cent of eligible costs, to a maximum of $5,000 per project; applications are open until June 30 'Clean coastlines benefit local communities and enhance the reputation of our seafood industry as a provider of top-quality products,' said Kent Smith, minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. 'Our goal is to limit the amount of debris that reaches the shore and increase recycling from cleanup initiatives.' Kelly Mackarous the coastal and marine program manager at Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation said the program inspires more collaborative efforts dedicated to clean coastlines. 'Through continued support from the Marine Debris Clean-up Program, Coastal Action has been able to continue a range of projects that not only target persistent marine debris on Nova Scotia's shorelines but also strengthen our relationships with local partners,' Mackarous said. June 8 is World Ocean Day, with events taking place throughout Nova Scotia, a province with 13,000 kilometres of coastline. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
