OPINION: Athens bag ban may cause more harm than good for the environment

Jazmine Amoako is a senior studying Economics and an opinion writer for The New Political

Please note that the views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.

Athens, Ohio, has recently earned its spot on the growing list of cities and states to enact a single-use plastic bag ban. Athens City Council voted for this ban in May of 2023 and it took effect Jan. 1, 2024. This ordinance stops local businesses within Athens City limits from handing out single-use plastic bags and has created a fine of $150 for those who violate the new rule. Single-use plastic bag bans have been on the rise at local and state levels and are aiming to reduce plastic waste, decrease carbon footprints and ultimately aid in the fight against climate change.

Although plastic bag bans seem promising in curbing plastic waste and carbon footprints, growing research shows that these bans may be doing the opposite. A current example of this can be seen in New Jersey where a bag ban enacted in 2022 has led to significant increases in plastic consumption. California is another example of a state enacting a bag ban and not experiencing decreased plastic consumption and waste. This theme can be seen elsewhere too.  

Along with the lack of reduction in plastic waste, bag bans lead to an increase in paper and reusable cotton bags, which may seem “greener,” but have their own downsides too. Paper bags, compared to plastic, require significantly more energy and water to manufacture. Reusable cotton bags are also more resource intensive and, according to one study from the United Kingdom Environment Agency, would need to be reused 131 times to have a lower global warming impact than plastic bags. It is also important to note that sometimes thicker plastic bags are substituted for thinner, single-use plastic bags. These thicker bags, although seemingly more “reusable,” ultimately have the same fate as the single-use but use more plastic, thus increasing plastic waste.

The U.S. produced roughly 36 million tons of plastic waste in 2018 and that number has only increased. Despite recycling efforts, only 5% of recycled plastic is turned into new items. This might mean that the issue at hand is not plastic production, which a bag ban would tackle, rather the mismanagement of plastic waste. Because of the dominant mismanagement issue, a plastic bag ban would not impact the overarching goal of curbing climate change, especially when people substitute single-use plastic bags with less green options. And this might explain why places like California and New Jersey have not seen reductions in plastic waste.  

What this means for Athens is that although a plastic bag ban sounds good to the ears, it can easily go down the path of creating a worse environmental impact. With the ban being a new ordinance, it is important for Athens leaders to look at data in order to have an effective bag ban. With that, Athens needs to limit the circulation of paper bags, as they have a heavier global impact, and promote ethically sourced and sustainable cloth bags that are not to be overconsumed.