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John,

In a world where hermit crabs use plastic trash for shells and more plastic clogs our waterways every single day, it's easy to feel helpless about our plastic pollution problem.

But today, I have good news to share.

A new study shows that plastic bag bans across the country are shifting the tide on single-use plastic pollution.[1]

Those flimsy plastic bags that sit in our grocery cart for five minutes before being tossed are all too good at slipping out of landfills or trashbins and directly into our waterways. Once there, they can stick around for centuries, breaking down into microplastics, entangling wildlife or even being mistaken for food.[2]

And plastic bags are everywhere. In tens of thousands of shoreline cleanups analyzed for this study, plastic bags were one of the most common pieces of pollution found.[3]

But the cleanups discovered something else as well -- in areas where plastic bags had been banned, they saw a 25% to 47% reduction in bags on the shore. And the longer the policies have been in place, the fewer the bags.[4]

Last year, our research partners came to a similarly hopeful conclusion. In their study, they found that five state or city-wide plastic bag bans had cut consumption by about 6 billion bags a year -- enough to circle the earth 42 times.[5]

Environment Colorado already won a statewide ban on plastic bags, and our national network is working to build on that momentum and cut down on single-use plastic around the country. Studies like this demonstrate why all that work is worth it.

These bag bans are only the beginning. We have a long way to go if we're going to protect our ocean wildlife and reduce the tremendous amount of plastic entering our environment.

But this study confirms what we've known all along: that when we put in the work and pass bold, commonsense legislation that prioritizes people, planet and wildlife, the results will speak for themselves.

Thank you for being part of this work,

Ellen Montgomery

P.S. We know what needs to be done to cut down on plastic pollution -- now we have to do it. Your donation makes all of our work possible, from passing bag bans to saving the bees. Will you give today?
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1. Christine Kelso, "Banning Plastic Bags Works to Limit Shoreline Litter, Study Finds," New York Times, June 19, 2025.
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2. Helen Briggs, "Why plastic is a deadly attraction for sea turtles," BBC, March 9, 2020.
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3. Christine Kelso, "Banning Plastic Bags Works to Limit Shoreline Litter, Study Finds," New York Times, June 19, 2025.
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4. Christine Kelso, "Banning Plastic Bags Works to Limit Shoreline Litter, Study Finds," New York Times, June 19, 2025.
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5. Celeste Meiffren-Swango, "Plastic Bag Bans Work," Environment America Research & Policy Center, January 17, 2024.
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Your donation will be used to support all of our campaigns to protect the environment, from saving the bees and protecting public lands, to standing up for clean water and fighting climate change. None of our work would be possible without supporters like you. Environment Colorado may transfer up to $50 per dues-paying member per year into the Environment Colorado Small Donor Committee.

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