Striving for Single-use Plastic Bans
Jenna Levine
A hot topic of debate in recent years has been the notion of single-use plastics, more specifically, the plastic bags given out by many businesses. While several different states have varying views on bans for these kinds of plastics, New York State and Florida seem to be on opposite sides of the debate.
In 2020, New York State implemented a single-use plastic carryout bag ban. Prior to this law, New York City residents alone used more than 10 billion single-use carryout bags each year. The Law, with limited exceptions, states that any retailer required to collect New York State sales tax will no longer be able to provide single-use plastic carryout bags.
Before instating this law, over 23 billion plastic bags were used each year; 85 percent ended up in landfills, recycling machines, waterways, or the streets. Not only has this act reduced the number of plastic bags being used, but it’s also made it so the businesses covered under the NYS Plastic Bag Reduction, Reuse and Recycling Act are still required to collect plastic bags and other film plastics from consumers for recycling. This has made it easier for consumers to recycle items such as bread bags and plastic wraps that come over cases of water, paper towels, and other similar items.
Since the ban has been in effect, the New York City Department of Sanitation has found that the prevalence of plastic shopping bags in the waste stream fell 68 percent from 2017 to 2023. This is important to note since plastic pollution poses such a damaging effect to the environment. More than 1,500 species in marine and terrestrial environments are known to ingest plastics.
As it is written, the plastic bag ban includes several exceptions. For example, bags used to package bulk items, those used at restaurants, and those provided by pharmacies to carry out prescription drugs are excluded. Nothing is perfect, but this ban in New York has eliminated 300 bags per person per year. The effort is showing promise, and if enough states enforce a similar ban, the amount of plastic waste we as a country produce could diminish dramatically.
Unfortunately, there are states which are completely against a ban on these single-use plastics. Since this debate began, Florida has implemented preemption laws which have prevented local municipalities from taking action to reduce certain single-use plastics and foams. In other words, they have bans on bans! Until the state of Florida decides to reduce single-use plastics, local governments won’t be able to create any kind of restriction on these plastics. In other words, cities will be sued if they try to completely ban foam containers or single-use plastic bags.
The solution is simple: Florida could either pass a statewide law reducing single-use plastics or allow cities and counties to carry out individual bans. A survey from 2021 shows that 93 percent of Florida residents believe regulations are necessary. Alongside this, it’s been estimated that if Florida began to enforce a single-use plastic ban, it would keep about 6.5 billion plastic bags out of the environment each year.
Something seemingly so simple can make such a drastic difference within our communities. Florida’s choice to ban plastic bags is a complete disservice to our environment. While New York’s single-use plastic bag ban is just one example of a small law that creates real change, it’s important to recognize that not all states are taking these ideas seriously.
Citations
“How N.Y. Has Won From Saying Bye-Bye to Plastic Bags - Scenic Hudson.” Scenic Hudson, 2 Apr. 2024, https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/plastic-bag-ban/.
Kaye, Danielle, and Brian Karlsson. “It’s Been Five Years Since New York Banned Single-Use Plastic Bags. They’re Still Floating Around..” ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/nytimes/blogs-podcasts-websites/s-been-five-years-since-new-york-banned-single/docview/3172442265/sem-2?accountid=12616. Accessed 21 Sept. 2026
“Legislation.” NY State Senate, https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/ENV/A27T28. Accessed 21 Sept. 2026.
McCormick, Mia. “New Florida Legislation Would Restrict Local Plastic Bag Bans Despite Evidence They Are Effective.” Environment Florida, 31 Jan. 2024, https://environmentamerica.org/florida/articles/new-florida-legislation-would-restrict-local-plastic-bag-bans/.
“Plastic Bag Waste Reduction.” Department of Environmental Conservation, 2020, https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/recycling-composting/nys-plastics-reduction-laws/plastic-bag-waste-reduction.
Servanda. “Plastic Bag Regulation Ban Pending State — § 403.7033.” Servanda, 28 Aug. 2026, https://servanda.ai/law/florida/florida-statutes-403-7033.
“Single-Use Plastic Carryout Bags - DSNY.” Nyc.Gov, 2020, https://www.nyc.gov/site/dsny/businesses/materials-handling/single-use-plastic-bags.page.
“State.” Plastic Free Florida, 24 July 2020, https://plasticfreefl.org/state/.
Team, Greenprint. “Everything You Need to Know About Florida’s Plastic Bag Ban.” Greenprint, 3 Feb. 2025, https://greenprintproducts.com/florida-bag-ban/.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Impacts of Plastic Pollution.” Www.Epa.Gov, 2024, https://www.epa.gov/plastics/impacts-plastic-pollution.
