Freshwater Science Teaser: Why Environmentally Conscious Shoppers Don’t Bring Reusable Bags
Channel: Ohio Sea Grant
Date: 2022-06-02

Single-use plastic bags are everywhere in society, but despite their convenience, they can have negative impacts on the environment and on waste management. 


Farmers markets seem like a logical place to encourage the use of reusable bags, but when Jill Bartolotta and Dr. Scott Hardy from Ohio Sea Grant examined the effects of giving out free reusable bags at the Ohio farmers markets, they found that just having bags available is not an effective approach to reducing the use of plastic bags. Instead, communities should consider focused approaches like bag bans and education and outreach strategies, as well as financial and policy incentives.