Reducing plastic waste through legislative interventions in the United States: Development, obstacles, potentials, and challenges

The distribution of more than 100 billion plastic bags every year in the United States has caused many environmental problems and an increasing number of local and state governments have enacted ordinances and legislations to ban or tax single-use plastic bags and other plastic products. By February 2022, a total of 11 states had enacted statewide plastic bag bans and several other states have proposed similar legislative bills. This paper reviews the development of state-level plastic bag legislation, discusses the preemption conflicts between local and state governments and other obstacles, and assesses the potentials and challenges of further plastic bag legislation for enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of legislative interventions. This study suggests that the United States should start to develop federal plastic bag legislation to overcome the preemption conflicts between state and local governments, reduce the inconsistencies in plastic bag legislations across states, and catch up with many other developed nations in plastic waste reduction. Also, public investment in research, information dissemination, environmental education, and policy assessment should be increased to enhance public awareness of, participation in, and support for reducing plastic waste.