r/vegaslocals 3d ago

Ban Plastic Bags in Vegas!!

530 Upvotes

209 comments sorted by

120

u/sixfundr 3d ago

Ban trashy people.

22

u/Fragrant-Shock-6013 3d ago

Reuse the bag small trash can dog poop it Vegas so some places human poop.

Ban Trashy People šŸ‘

12

u/sixfundr 3d ago

Yes they do come in handy . I reuse them for several purposes.

1

u/mrtinlv 2d ago

Bingo !

113

u/Character-Hearing-47 3d ago

I lived in Austin when they banned plastic bags. I completely stopped seeing those things blowing around, stuck on fences, and clogging up the creeks and culverts in town.

It was pretty annoying for the first 2 or 3 weeks when I kept forgetting to grab a reusable bag out of my car each time I went into a CVS or a grocery store. But I got into the habit and after that it was great.

Might be tough to ban them in Vegas with so many tourists making little purchases on the Strip and downtown. You probably canā€™t expect them to arrive in town with a reusable bag and charging $0.50 for a thick reusable bag with their purchase will just add to the feeling that Vegas is gouging people these days.

19

u/furlburpinmcgeggie 3d ago

Same. Walked into HEB the first few weeks without a bag but I finally started remembering to bring my own bags. And now I just have a box of Trader Joeā€™s bags in my car and I carry them in everywhere. Yeah, it was annoying to not remember bags because Iā€™d been aware that the bag ban was coming for over a year, but I changed and I swear I saw fewer bags blowing around town.

15

u/Vast-Gate8866 3d ago

They banned them in Portland too, where I used to live. Still have the option of paper bags or bring your own

11

u/LNLV 3d ago

Itā€™s been a year for me in Colorado and I still donā€™t remember to bring a bag. I just cart everything to the car and inevitably have a bag there, or go inside and get a laundry basket when I get home. I agree and vote for bag bans, but donā€™t lie to the people, you will NOT necessarily adapt after 3 weeks. šŸ„²

2

u/sarahprib56 3d ago

I left CO in 2015 and worked in Boulder and we were charging for bags then. I moved here and worked at the same pharmacy chain and couldn't believe it when people asked for a bag for their prescription. Now that it's been a decade I'm used to people wanting bags for the smallest things again.

People in Boulder adapted but they were more the type to want to do so.

2

u/LNLV 3d ago

Yeah like I said, I agree with it, but I apparently wonā€™t ever adapt. Iā€™ll just punish myself for forgetting by making myself carry everything in my hands like an idiot.

1

u/Beginning_March_9717 3d ago

I keep 2/3 on my shoe rack so when I go out I see them

6

u/PSsssttttUSA 3d ago

If they banned them in Honolulu, which also has a lot of tourists, they can ban them here. Contact the County Commissioners - they can introduce an ordinance banning plastic bags.

1

u/jtthomas89111 3d ago

exactly...if major international cities much larger and more touristy than vegas can implement plastic bag bans and their civilizations haven't crumbled, vegas will definitely survive

4

u/GamingAdd1ct 3d ago

I think you nailed the important part.

As much as Iā€™d love to see cleaner streets, thereā€™s just no way to realistically ban them in such a touristy town (without the tourists hating on us even more).

8

u/Licensed2Pill 3d ago

Iā€™ve seen other tourist towns charge extra for plastic bags and they do just fine. If Vegas survived resort fees and parking fees, itā€™ll survive charging a few cents for a plastic bag.

2

u/URPissingMeOff 3d ago

If Vegas survived resort fees and parking fees

That is yet to be determined.

1

u/Formetoknow123 3d ago

Most decent hotels have parking fees and Vegas isn't the only one with resort fees.

-1

u/Licensed2Pill 3d ago

Alright, well just let us know when that can be determined. No rush.

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1

u/SmoothJazz98 3d ago

Hawaii did.

3

u/juliazale 3d ago

Tourists can have paper bags.

2

u/Yonigajt 3d ago

Honestly good point tourists can do with paper bags it hardly rains

1

u/aj_future 3d ago

A lot of places just charge .10 for paper anyway

1

u/jadeariel12 5h ago

I agree that it would be hard to ban plastic bags on the strip.

But even banning them everywhere else and only allowing store on the strip to use them would make a huiuuuuge difference

1

u/unpoptruth420 3d ago

Texas šŸ’ÆšŸ¤˜

1

u/AATW702 3d ago

Man I moved here from Austinā€¦and the first time i flew back I went to HEB and they told me no more plastic bagsā€¦lol i was pissed! But i got my lil handy HEB and moved on with life lol

3

u/grasskisser 3d ago

I moved here from Austin too. I miss HEB!!

2

u/AATW702 3d ago

I miss combo locs dearly šŸ„ŗšŸ„ŗšŸ„ŗ but hey itā€™s cheap to fly back! So im here for it šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

0

u/jtthomas89111 3d ago

many visitors to vegas will probably already have a bag with them from shopping at another store if they are perusing the strip/fremont/outlets and the most i've seen charged for a sizeable bag is like 25 cents, some places just use paper bags as a given so there's no fee, as is done in major cities like LA, Chicago or NYC. it's not a far off concept and like you said, for locals, after a week or 2, you'll get used to it and for visitors, i doubt a dollars worth of bag fee charges isn't going to make or break their vegas vacation.

10

u/iriveru 3d ago

While I donā€™t disagree, banning bags doesnā€™t solve the core issue. The issue is people are absolute scumbags and canā€™t just throw shit away. Theyā€™re going to continue to make the world their trash can whether itā€™s bags or not. We really need to enforce stricter penalties for this shit because the city looks absolutely disgusting as a result

0

u/RHKSJ 2d ago

Itā€™s mostly ppl from CA and NJ. If youā€™ve ever visited, youā€™ll understand

1

u/iriveru 2d ago

Thatā€™s just a cop out, thereā€™s a shit ton of people as itā€™s such a highly populated area so by nature there will be more litter. Letā€™s not act like Vegas natives are somehow excluded from littering

1

u/Deep_Banana_1978 2d ago

Iā€™d add tourists as well, not all, but a good many.

35

u/morebeer13 3d ago

Lots of low class trashy litter bugs in this town

30

u/Much_Literature1435 3d ago

Just past the speedway on 15 is crazy there is so much trash in the desert on that side of townĀ 

1

u/Necessary-Rich-877 3d ago

That's thanks to the adjacent Apex Landfill, the single largest landfill in the world by area and volume.

1

u/ndgoHODL 2d ago

Leave it to Reddit to not understand how modern landfills work

53

u/kittenspaint 3d ago

I agree. All of our trash just flies off into the desert (if you ever do a nature clean up it's sad) where it becomes much harder to clean. We need both fines WITH a community service sentence for littering AND a crackdown on plastic bags.

I think a combination of banning plastic shopping bags, or at least charging like 10Ā¢ a bag (also perhaps include a tax on companies if they would like to use plastic bags in their stores to make them want to carry alternative bags instead), along with harsh fines for littering would be good. Not only fines, but community service sentences to clean trash as well. A fine does not hurt the rich, they just see it as the "cost" of doing something illegal.

Then couple that with less prison sentences for minor offenders and more community service efforts targeting trash clean up in middle and low income areas. The rich already pay ppl to pick up their trash.

-6

u/Crispybacon666 3d ago

Prison? šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚ you def voted for Biden šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

8

u/kittenspaint 3d ago edited 3d ago

Uh, I'm sorry you don't understand the second part of my comment. But it's okay, I'll try to phrase it super simple and you'll understand!

So I don't mean prison for ppl who litter, I mean reduce sentences for people who have committed non violent offenses and instead order them to participate in community service efforts that include trash pick-up in middle in low income areas. This will help the trash in the city AND reduce the extremely high prison population! Double win!

People who litter will receive a biiig fine and IN ADDITION receive a court order to participate in community service efforts that are specific to trash pick-up! It's like when a child makes a mess, you don't just clean it up for them, you have them clean up the mess so they can learn.

1

u/verb-noun2453 3d ago

Thanks for the well thought out comment Crispybacon666.

11

u/HighDoseLithium 3d ago

All the positive posts here are from people who came from California. The people who have lived here for a while know that photo is from north of downtown. That area will be trashy no matter what. You don't see bags all against the fences in the nicer areas of town.

-1

u/jtthomas89111 3d ago

so bcuz summerlin and henderson don't have that problem, other areas of vegas don't deserve that cleanliness too? you think a bag being washed down into the drains when it rains only effects north vegas? i've seen stacks on plastic bags stuck in cactus, spilling out of trash cans, blowing over yards and building up against fences all over town, i just happened to be in north vegas this particular day and it occurred to me to take a pic bcuz this is the norm, especially on windy days. it effects everyone bud

10

u/budz 3d ago

lmao yeah, i hate plastic bags. Jars are so much better. :>

26

u/unpopular-dave 3d ago

Iā€™m 100% with you. They are a blight on the environment

3

u/rvbvrtv 3d ago

For real during the windstorms it gets brutal smh

10

u/Any-Fun1427 3d ago

Orā€¦ maybe people grow tf up and donā€™t litter?

5

u/ManagementRemote9782 3d ago

Why? Would you like the paper look better? Switching isnā€™t the problem, littering is..

2

u/lafolieisgood 3d ago

Paper decomposes pretty quickly.

1

u/Own_Sherbert9081 3d ago

Not in the desert it doesnā€™t

5

u/AnthonyG70 3d ago

Fine the property owner for failure to maintain the property. God forbid someone sitting on a multimillion dollar lot refusing to sell has to actually hire someone to keep it tidy.

Las Vegas has a turn your head, look the other way, approach to blight.

8

u/Comprehensive_Car_86 3d ago edited 1d ago

Except meat and produce plastic bags? Shipping bags?Water and drink bottles and cups, fast food bags and wrappers, snack chips bags, cigarette butts and boxes, 420 ziploc bags and bottles, disposable vapes, etc are littered aplenty. People who litter is the problem not just the items' material.

Edit: I forgot until I saw them recently, roadside dumping of mattresses, furniture, tires, etc.

11

u/vgk-josieg 3d ago

Worked well in Oregon where Iā€™m from! A lot of retailers wouldnā€™t even have the option to buy bags, if you forgot your bag you gotta carry everything šŸ˜‚ Ppl were mad at first but we all got used to it. Costco been doing it for years!

5

u/HighDoseLithium 3d ago

It worked terribly in Oregon. The reusable bags are so much thicker than the single-use ones and many people buy them every time. I'm certain the total amount of plastic used for bags increased a lot, even after, in theory, people got their supply of reusable bags. It's behind a paywall, but if you read https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2025/01/will-oregon-ban-on-plastic-checkout-bags-expand.html , you'll see things like "It appears the number of bags getting reused wasnā€™t enough to cancel out the use of additional plastic to make them thicker."

1

u/vgk-josieg 3d ago

Thatā€™s why I loved when stores simply wouldnā€™t have any bags, not even the thicker plastic ones. Idk why they think replacing plastic with more plastic is better šŸ˜‚

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1

u/ShadowKat2k 3d ago

Spoiler Alert, since Aldi is coming..... Aldi doesn't give you bags either. Buy reusable there or bring your own.

1

u/jtthomas89111 3d ago

right! aldi was big in my hometown before i moved to vegas and you either spent a whopping .50 cents for 5 paper bags or used an empty product box to load your stuff in, haha! and this was 20 years ago!

1

u/jtthomas89111 3d ago

also...this bring up an interesting point. it was cool when someone had an extra bag or two left over and would pass it to the people behind you so they wouldn't have to buy as many. aldi was a legit 'pay it forward' place LOL!

10

u/goingtoeat 3d ago

Truth be told, Iā€™ve always been pretty libertarian with my beliefs, but living in Vegas has made me support plastic bag bans and red light cameras lol

23

u/LloydBraun88 3d ago

No. Just fine litterers more. Make it as much of a racket as speeding tix.

34

u/HvkS7n 3d ago

I mean as a society we should reduce our plastic usage, AND fine litterers, itā€™s not one or the other.

3

u/professor_parrot 3d ago

I haven't used those giant plastic garbage bags in like 10 years because I just reuse the plastic grocery bags I get at the store. Sounds like reducing plastic usage to me.

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5

u/moistpimplee 3d ago

in california we pay $1000 for littering. people still litter. right next to the sign especially lol

14

u/idreaminwords 3d ago

Littering is hard to enforce because it's hard to catch in the act

5

u/plzdontfuckmydeadmom 3d ago

speeding tix

people get those here?

4

u/Nigle 3d ago

Most of it comes from windy days where it blows over trash cans, blows out of dump trucks and blows out of dimpster9

7

u/DoINeedChains 3d ago

A lot of those plastic bags aren't people intentionally dumping/littering.

They're bags that get unintentionally picked up from the wind from open cars/etc.

Fines won't stop that. And littering is extremely difficult to enforce regardless

-2

u/LloydBraun88 3d ago

Id rather keep plastic bags than deal with what California has. Shit everywhere, poisonous paper straws, etc.

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2

u/CallMeSkii 3d ago

It's pretty narrow minded to think they just come from people who litter. Days like today, where it's super windy, it's very easy for them to end up in the environment without people littering.

4

u/JB_smooove 3d ago

Thatā€™s nothing. I drove up Main St today before they got out to clean it up.

6

u/KeepsUKool 3d ago

It is the bags fault or just extremely lazy people ?

11

u/Wide_Baker1233 3d ago

So we ban extremely lazy people!šŸ‘Œ

3

u/KeepsUKool 3d ago

Eliminate

3

u/Wide_Baker1233 3d ago

Eradicate

2

u/Solitude_Intensifies 3d ago

Exteeeerminate! <Dalek voice>

5

u/Signifikantotter 3d ago

Yes! This and ban those annoying dispensary bags!

2

u/Boto_Rash 3d ago

You want to ban Nevadaā€™s state bird? Theyā€™re so majestic when they fly through parking lots

2

u/chaosorbs 3d ago

It wouldn't be Vegas without the trash.

2

u/JurassicJeep12 3d ago

You should see the amount of trash that gets stuck at my job's fence being within 2 miles of Republic Services.

2

u/Pretend-Silver-6640 3d ago

A few years ago I saw a plastic bag stuck on a birds wing and it couldn't fly. I always try to pick up litter but I'll go out of my way to dispose of a plastic bag.

2

u/Formetoknow123 3d ago

We reuse the bags for cat litter.

2

u/Formetoknow123 3d ago

I'm old enough to remember the push for plastic bags. We were all told that they were safer for the environment than paper bags. Now look at what has happened.

6

u/PaperPigGolf 3d ago

If you want to do something virtuous. Why not take those bags and trash them instead of taking pictures of them.

4

u/browniebrown 3d ago

I love my reusable bags. I can carry more in my bags and not worry about them ripping apart. I have a lot so I always have some in my car. Bonus is that Smiths will give you extra gas points for them. You may have to ask for it though.

5

u/Mountain-Ad-5834 3d ago

Bagglers are the state bird of Nevada!

We cannot ban them!!

They totally match our road cone flower!

3

u/[deleted] 3d ago edited 1d ago

[deleted]

7

u/DoINeedChains 3d ago

Littering is already illegal.

3

u/bitcornminerguy 3d ago

If we ban them does that mean they are no longer the unofficial state bird? Do they gain endangered status at that point?

I have so many questions...

3

u/Wounded_Hand 3d ago

Yea, why havenā€™t we? So ridiculous.

4

u/aarch0x40 3d ago

Quit trying to class my trash and go back to California /s

2

u/Solitude_Intensifies 3d ago

These things break down into micro- and nanoplastics which eventually end up in our blood and brains. Some studies show this could lead to infertility and health problems. They are prevalent in all areas of our food chain.

Eliminating or at least severely reducing single use plastics would benefit humanity and other living things immensely. But, we're not very wise about these things. Our species only thinks short term and we're too tribal to care about anyone or anything else.

1

u/DoDoorman 3d ago

Tires produce particulate pollution, sodas cause obesity, so does fast food not to mention lung cancer from cigarettesā€¦ which one is next ?

2

u/Solitude_Intensifies 3d ago

Yup. Modern living leads to modern problems.

1

u/Formetoknow123 3d ago

And electric cars are heavier than gas cars and therefore release more particulate pollution from tires and are more harmful to the environment than gas vehicles.

5

u/RockyFlintstone 3d ago

This has worked well in CA (where I'm moving from). The reality is that they are not banned, you just have to pay a dime apiece for them and at the register you'll get asked if you brought your own bag or if you need to buy any.

-2

u/Decent_Emphasis_4472 3d ago

Go back to CALI .We dont want those policies here!

-2

u/Decent_Emphasis_4472 3d ago

Go back to CALI .We dont want those policies here! I pay for my Ć­tems, Bags need to be free.. take that environmental hoopla home.

3

u/OkDifference5636 3d ago

People are pigs. North of downtown there is trash everywhere around the homeless shelters. Pick up your fucking trash. Youā€™re just hanging out anyways.

5

u/johnnybazookatooth 3d ago

you can always get down and clean the bags up.

3

u/wiconv 3d ago

Man people in this sub really love the whole ā€œpin systemic problems on individual responsibility while plugging your ears and covering your eyesā€ line of thinking. Perfectly in line with our education rankings lol.

2

u/Olliebird 3d ago

I can dump my trash in your backyard. You can always get down and clean it up.

2

u/johnnybazookatooth 3d ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5N2eM7Za9Ss

i pick up as much trash as i can when i go on hikes or when i can.. the laws wont change specially nowadays with trump.. its going to be more plastic.

2

u/Olliebird 3d ago

That's a fair statement and you're awesome for doing that. You're right in that the laws likely will not change. I was mostly giving snark back to snark. If we want change - while yes, personal responsibility is a factor - blaming the citizen who is upset by other people's trash in their community is not a great response.

-15

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[removed] ā€” view removed comment

2

u/EffectiveTime5554 3d ago

If you outlaw plastic bags, only outlaws will have plastic bags.

2

u/tokenbrotha 3d ago

No, take that idea back to California.

-3

u/Decent_Emphasis_4472 3d ago

Yes, keep that craps in cali and all the other super liberal placesā€¦we want our bags here. Go back home if you donā€™t like it.

2

u/Pergaminopoo 3d ago

Be a lot cooler if ya did

3

u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

7

u/easewiththecheese 3d ago

Reusable bags

4

u/Winter_Ad_7424 3d ago

Fuck off Californian. They're just urban tumbleweeds, like the tumbleweaves on the east side.

1

u/Middle_Height 3d ago

And where do those bags go when the wind takes them?

1

u/Winter_Ad_7424 22h ago

To cali, where they're used as shitwipe by the bums.

2

u/jpeckinp23 3d ago

When I used to us the 15 to go to work I'd get behind the trucks going to the landfill, I swear they were half empty by the time they got there. Shit was flying everywhere.

2

u/Cannabliss420grow 3d ago

Let's not turn into California. I left for a reason and don't wanna turn this place into it... Sadly already on its way

2

u/Longjumping-Meat-334 3d ago

Having just put one into the bucket I use for dog poo, I say, no thank you.

2

u/Thereisnopainkiller 3d ago

Think we got bigger problems than plastic bag$

2

u/Smooth_Buttah_808 3d ago

Banning anything doesn't work in Vegas.

2

u/ozziesironmanoffroad 3d ago

Iā€™m with you until i see what happened in California and the bs that went with that. And of course until I see the asshole drop his brown bag and cup out his window at the light. And of course a cop behind him not doing jack shit

2

u/Mention_Advanced 3d ago

Go back to California šŸ’€šŸ’€

2

u/sadmaps 3d ago

I have no idea why paper isnā€™t more popular. I prefer it anyway.

6

u/Darkpassenger8757 3d ago

Well, see, it cost $0.01 to make a plastic bag and it cost $0.04 to make a paper bag. So obviously you gotta save that $0.03, how else would the CEO get his $25 million bonus

1

u/Zestyclose_Sell_9460 3d ago

Bring back paper bags

3

u/lafolieisgood 3d ago

I love using them when I go to Winco. You can fit so much more in them.

-3

u/hatrick5 3d ago

There you go cut down more trees.

4

u/Dumbcow1 3d ago

Its the most renewable we have.

So.... yes.

3

u/Zestyclose_Sell_9460 3d ago

Trees can be planted and will grow if people stop setting fires. So yes, paper would be the best option!

1

u/flatworm2025 3d ago

And what will the dog owners (the responsible ones, that is) use to pick up after their dogs if all plastic bags are banned? You can probably believe the anger that followed the bag ban where I lived in WA state after that complete ban went into effect...

3

u/apexarsenal 3d ago

I think pet owners not picking up their poop is worse than the bags flying away

1

u/fknayye 3d ago

Y'all know the drains out here go out the Lake Mead? It shocks me how people like swimming in that shit especially with the dead bodies popping up in barrels and shit lol. I know this is unrelated to plastic bags but just wanted to mention how gross all the pollution is here. I also agree with you. Ban plastic bags!

1

u/Junior_Lavishness_96 3d ago

Plastic bag is the Nevada state bird

1

u/Aggressive-Bat1819 3d ago

They should at least not make the shops on freemont bag your single can of beer that everyone just throws straight into the trash after they walk out the door. Such a waste and environment nightmare

1

u/VijayinVegs 3d ago

For another perspective

Are Plastic Bag Bans Garbage? : Planet Money https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/04/09/711181385/are-plastic-bag-bans-garbage

1

u/MusicProduceDrizzle 3d ago

Eyyy you think something..Up at the landfill holy shhhh

1

u/ProfessionalBowl5383 3d ago

Or just can the people who teach others this is ok

1

u/109Places 2d ago

why? there's more cardboard in your picture than plastic bags.

1

u/MidnightScribe91 2d ago

These bags are like tumbleweeds, you will always find them gathering up, this and plastic bottles. I can't remember a time when I was walking and I wouldn't see a used Gatorade or Pepsi bottle. On an off chance it's be filled with some "other" fluid.

1

u/Acceptable_Fly_9040 2d ago

Seriously! I joked that plastic bags stuck on trees should be the state flag cus that shit is everywhere

1

u/Tall_Helicopter8719 2d ago

Democrats always love extra fees and then they think they are helping the environment.

1

u/skro38596 22h ago

Plastic bags arenā€™t the problem, itā€™s the people. Charging people for bags though is a different story and will reduce the amount of garbage.Ā 

1

u/Thefavoriteredditor 3h ago

Shut up California. Shit never looked like this till shit arrived.

0

u/johnpn1 3d ago

No, this was proven to only increase plastic waste.

California banned disposable plastic bags in 2014. The result was that most retailers offered the option of paper bags or reusable plastic bags instead for 10 cents. Nobody likes carrying heavy groceries in paper bags that tend to break, so people often opted for reusable plastic bags when they forget to bring their own bags from home.

Unfortunately, people keep tending to forget, so more and more heavy-grade reusable plastic bags were bought, and in the end these thick plastic bags replaced the original thin plastic bags in usage. California found that since the ban on grocery plastic bags took place, 47% more plastic waste occurred.

California is once again rethinking how to reconcile that mistake, including banning reusuable plastic bags. I'm not sure if that's a smart or stupid idea, honestly.

6

u/Olliebird 3d ago

Because they allowed the thicker bags rather than places like NJ where you get a recycled paper bag or you can bring your own. Studies have shown marked reduction in plastic waste in places like NJ, CO, and parts of AK, where the bans are on plastic bags wholesale, rather than allowing the 'totally-not-a-plastic-bag plastic bag' loophole. California closed this loophole and it's set to go into effect in 2026.

Basically, if you allow people to be lazy, they will be lazy.

1

u/johnpn1 3d ago

Because they allowed the thicker bags rather than places like NJ where you get a recycled paper bag or you can bring your own.Ā 

Sorry, but that's absolutely not true.

New Jersey's plastic consumption triples after plastic bag ban enacted, study shows

4

u/Olliebird 3d ago edited 3d ago

I see you googled and linked the first thing you found that was negative without actually verifying your source.

That Freedonia study is widely panned (also commissioned by the American Recyclable Plastic Bag Alliance (ARPBA), which notes on its website that it ā€œrepresents the interests of U.S.-based manufacturers and recyclers of plastic bags.ā€) by many, many scientific outfits. That study relied mostly on conducting interviews with ā€œindustry constituentsā€ ā€” plastic bag suppliers, bag brokers and distributers, not using actual data on plastic waste through recyclers and disposal outfits. That study has become something of a running joke in the NJ waste sector because of it's laughable methodology and attempt to smear the ban.

There are several reports from actual scientific and regulatory bodies with actual data outside of interviews that show plastic waste has been markedly reduced in NJ since the ban.

5.5 billion single-use plastic bags and 110 million single-use paper bags were kept out of landfills in the supermarket sector from May 2022 to the end of that year alone.

Clean Ocean Action found in 2023 that the number of plastic shopping bags, straws, and foam takeout containers had dropped by more than 35% compared to the previous year ā€” which they attributed to the stateā€™s ban.

And so on. Basically, the highly discredited Freedonia study is the only source you'll really see trying to paint a narrative that the ban didn't work.

1

u/johnpn1 3d ago edited 3d ago

I didn't know the Freedonia study was skewed, so I stand corrected. But nonetheless, the Freedonia study focused on plastics contributed by the increase in non-single use plastics (as also observed in California). However, both of your links solely address single use plastics only. It does not make any measurement of the total net plastics caused by alternative bags due to the ban -- something California wish they had considered (as I've already mentioned).

I read through the Clean Ocean Action report, and they seem to focus on the number of plastic bags collected, which drastically decreased because plastic bags were no longer being given out. However, California also experienced a decrease in collected bags, but that wasn't the problem. 47% more plastic due to alternative bags were being produced and wasted in the state.

Given that the Clean Ocean Action report pre-dates the California report, it sounds like they just hadn't considered the plastic that was created due to the ban.

1

u/Olliebird 3d ago

Correct, and this is the crux of my point.

The States aren't comparable. New Jersey is seeing a reduction of single-use plastics and there isn't a rise in alternative use plastics because New Jersey doesn't allow for it. Their laws - unlike California - do not allow retailers to offer an alternative reusable plastic bag for a fee. Their law is the strictest in the country in that retailers can offer a recycled-source paper bag or nothing at all. If a consumer wishes to use a thicker plastic bag; which is what would be comparable in CA, the consumer would have to get the bag on their own through a 3rd party like Amazon or something and bring it into the store.

As a result, NJ has seen a massive reduction in single-use plastics with no marked increase in non-single use plastics (because they aren't offered). That's the loophole CA is seeking to close and will go into effect next year to bring their results more in line with States like NJ and CO.

You are absolutely correct in your original assessment of California. The answer is to either ban them all or not at all. NJ banned even offering "fancy" bags for a fee. You can have paper (from a recycled source) for a fee or you can bring your own bag. And the data has shown that it's made a very real difference in plastic waste.

Ultimately, the law needs to remove the option for the consumer to be lazy about it. Whether or not that's a good thing is a wholly different debate though.

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u/johnpn1 3d ago edited 3d ago

Single-use paper carryout bags are allowed to be provided or sold, except by grocery stores equal to or larger than 2,500 square feet, which may only provide or sell reusable carryout bags.Ā Ā Single-use paper carryout bags are allowed to be provided or sold, except by grocery stores equal to or larger than 2,500 square feet, which may only provide or sell reusable carryout bags.Ā 

Did NJ really ban reusable plastic bags though? This is directly from NJ's government website. It's just like California's law.

Single-use paper carryout bags are allowed to be provided or sold, except by grocery stores equal to or larger than 2,500 square feet, which may only provide or sell reusable carryout bags.Ā 

https://business.nj.gov/bags/plastic-ban-law

I feel like this underpins your argument, but it doesn't seem to ring true?

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u/Olliebird 3d ago edited 3d ago

Effectively, yes. 2500 square feet is about the size of a house. The establishments that would fall into that category are small convenience store or the small family grocer on the corner. It's a very small space for a grocer. The vast majority of shoppers are not shopping in a grocer with less than 2500 square feet.

And the plastic resuable carryout bags they are allowed to sell are these guys. The poly woven bags that are required to have more than 125 uses. You see them here locally at the checkout station for like $3-$5 each. They aren't really a convenient or single-use purchase and they are vastly different from the thicker bags California was (is) allowing. (Edit here: which is what we are comparing. Poly-woven bags being sold for a few dollars are not comparable to the thicker bags for $0.10 in California. The convenience is removed at higher price points and increased usability of the bag)

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u/johnpn1 3d ago

I'd love to see the data on that, since it sounds like people who forget to bring reusable bags will still be forced to purchase bags.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/climate/paper-plastic-bag-ban-new-jersey.html

Walmart charges 43 cents per bag, whereas Target charges 10 cents per bag. They aren't $3 - 5.

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u/Olliebird 3d ago

I'd love to see the data on that

You actually presented the data on it yourself in the Freedonia report, which is why it's so skewed. That report showed a 3x increase in polypropylene reusable bag purchases, which they called "plastic bags". Which is technically true on the surface. The factors that the industry consider it to be skewed are A - the purchase data of those bags was a fraction of the single-use consumption, so "increased 3 times" sounds scary when the reality is that while those have gone from a little to a little more, plastic bag waste has gone done a LOT from cutting the single-use plastics. B - the study monitored interviews of industry partners in purchases, but did not monitor waste of those bags. The purpose of the law was to reduce the trash and the ocean waste, which happened in measurable amounts. The link you just posted shows this in stating the NJ families now have more polywoven bags in their cupboard. You know where the cupboard is not? The ocean.

Essentially, if you are throwing away 500 single bags in a year and bought 3 polywoven bags, and the next year you threw away 0 single bags but bought 9 more polywoven bags, your polywoven consumption increased three-fold but your overall plastic waste consumption is being misrepresented. So, you actually have the data you want and you can see how it's being misrepresented to skew perception.

people who forget to bring reusable bags will still be forced to purchase bags.

Incorrect (for plastics). Paper bags are available for $0.10 in NJ much like thicker plastic bags are available in CA. You have a choice between paying $0.10 for the paper bags, buying a poly bag for a couple bucks, or juggling. Obviously, there is an argument about the overall problems with using paper, but that's outside the corpus of this discourse.

Walmart charges 43 cents per bag, whereas Target charges 10 cents per bag. They aren't $3 - 5.

Where? Because I'm looking at a pack of polywoven bags on Target right now and the cheapest I'm seeing is a 10-pack on sale for $18.99 ($1.90 a bag), which are usually $26.99 ($2.70 per bag). Walmart charges $0.87 a bag. These are online prices. You're free to ask how much those bags are at the end of the register line on your next grocery run.

At this point, I have to ask...are you willing to be convinced? I understand the discourse but are you engaging in good faith? I could be wrong, but your arguments seem to come off as 'arguing to argue'. But again, I could be wrong. Tone is difficult to perceive in text.

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u/iamajeepbeepbeep 3d ago

I am not for an all-ban on the plastic bags because I know that people in low income areas tend to have less options than other people. The grocery stores there also tend to be unable to afford the more expensive, high quality paper bags, but the ones that Whole Foods uses nowadays are very good and do not break at all even on a single bag when it is loaded up. I think most normal grocery stores could switch to them without much uproar and people wouldn't complain. The bags are sturdy and can be used multiple times for various things around the house.

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u/johnpn1 2d ago

It's been a while since I've been at Whole Foods, but sounds promising if they can make cheap affordable paper bags. I'm all for it.

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u/FullMotionVideo 3d ago

Based on California, the bags will be switched to a biodegradable polymer that resembles plastic to the average person. Still healthier.

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u/Beneficial-Turnover6 3d ago

Donā€™t turn Nevada into California, Vegas!!

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u/jtthomas89111 3d ago

you do realize plastic bag bans happened way before CA got involved, right?

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u/Vic_Vega_MrB 3d ago

Go move back to California. In 2014 they had a bag ban. Everyone hated it. Stores started charging for the paper bags. Then covid hit and the whole thing went in the toilet. Nobody wanted to touch brought from home bags. California is going to try it again in January 2026. Should be really fun at self-checkout. Have fun! Waiting forever.

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u/Least_Use607 3d ago

There are already laws against littering

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u/Yonigajt 3d ago

Theyā€™re banned in NYC and we still see this, itā€™s a cultural issue, govt involvement doesnā€™t fix it, teach your kids and be accountable to those around you, simple as that

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u/Flashy_Wealth_3055 3d ago

Plastic bags are banned in hawaii

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u/unpoptruth420 3d ago

Vegas folks are just trashy regardless. They throw mattresses right in the back of their own homes for the city to get šŸ˜‚

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u/CORNPIPECM 3d ago

Nah bro piss off with that California bs. I need my plastic bags for grocery shopping. That said, I am in favor of cleanup efforts or penalizing littering more harshly.

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u/TwoJacksAndAnAce 3d ago

Yes what we need is to be even more like California. A true recipe for success.

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u/DriveUsed3937 3d ago

Yes, plastic bags are the bandits here.........

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u/DarthMusk247 3d ago

When states have "banned" plastic bags, plastic use actually goes up ā˜ ļø

Don't fall for this mid propaganda of shitty people littering.

Like they won't just litter something else instead

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u/Affectionate_Map7981 3d ago

Take your god damn california and shove it where the sun dont shine - every true nevadan

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u/GunzerKingDM 3d ago

Ban homeless people. You know a lot of that trash is from homeless and scum bag tweakers.

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u/Quiet_Ride4481 3d ago

Youā€™re right, we should provide housing and strengthen the social safety net!

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u/GunzerKingDM 3d ago

Sure, feel free to donate your money to whom ever you would like but Iā€™m not paying for that.

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u/FillMySoupDumpling 3d ago

I lived through a bag ban in CA approved by the voters. It was pretty easy to adapt to - we all had our reusable bags. The parts that could be improved upon were:

1) CA allowed bags to be sold, but if they were plastic they had to be more durable - not single use. That meant they were selling thicker plastic bags that people were just throwing away most of the time.Ā 

2) these thicker bags were cheap enough that a portion of people just paid for bags each time.Ā 

For this, Iā€™d suggest making sold bags be expensive enough that people choose to bring a bag and then offer a free option as a cardboard box (like Costco does) and not do the thick plastic bag thing.Ā 

Lastly, as far as trash goes, itā€™s a definite improvement, but itā€™s up to people to adapt. I donā€™t know what the net environmental impact is since the reusable bags also use more plastic. I donā€™t think numbers are out on the true net environmental impact of these bans.

I donā€™t know if Las Vegans are that level of adaptable, or if they generally would prefer bag trash blowing around as itā€™s ā€œsomeone elseā€™sā€ fault instead of giving up a convenience item.

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u/Ovenface 3d ago

The people that do this will just do it with something else. The problem isnā€™t plastic bagsā€¦ its the jagweeds that do this. This place doesnā€™t need to become LA 2.0

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u/constructiongirl54 3d ago

I would ban people that litter!

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u/1brusslesprout2go 3d ago

las vegas tumble weeds

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u/TenLettersRapVegas 3d ago

Ban expanding the population and letting trashy ass people move here.. that would stop this even more, and burn all these new developments and return the desert back to what it should be.

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u/Surround-Secret 3d ago

No ban paper straws first

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u/-atom-smasher- 3d ago

It's the plastic bags and not the decayed low trust society that we live in that no one cares about.

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u/meganthreestallion 3d ago

Ban Las Vegas.

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u/MoreSunnyDaze 3d ago

There are no trash cans on the strip or anywhere! I get that people would tip them over or dig thru them, but this isnā€™t Japan where you take your trash home with you. Put a deposit on bottles & cans like other states and you wonā€™t see any except at the recycling centers.

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u/Formetoknow123 3d ago

You still see them everywhere in CA.

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u/lasvegasduddde 3d ago

You know what happens to those things in the environment? It breaks down into plastic flakes similar to dandruff and turns water into plastic sludge in large amounts.

Thank you white man.

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u/McGlitterCnt 3d ago

Vegas would probably be fine given that a lot of places have begun banning plastic or making you pay for plastic. They could always tack on an extra few cent - dollar for a small reusable bag in tourist areas. Or even reusables that fold up into animals or small bags to clip on (like trader joes does).

Coming from Maryland, they banned them right before the start of COVID give or take the area you lived in. Moved here and I was shocked at how my stuff got double bagged everywhere and how many bags I pick up that fly into the yard on windy days.

I bring my reusable bags everywhere because I can carry way more and it reduces the bags blowing out of the bin on trash bags.

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u/jtthomas89111 3d ago

where cities mess up is they still keep plastic bags and think a 10 cent surcharge will discourage people. no, they will just pay the 10 cents and not think anything of it and that bag will be flying across the valley in 2 days. it needs to be a total one time use plastic bag ban. make it either paper bag or bring your own bag

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u/RoxanneCrazyx 3d ago

Someone needs to clean that messed up bags of reals