Single-use plastic bags do not have a safe, cost-effective destination after use. As a result, we incur a high cost for their benefits.

• When people try to recycle them, they cause millions of dollars in damage to recycling facilities.
• When properly placed in garbage, many carried by wind either in transit or from landfills. As a result, bags litter our streets, parks, and neighborhoods.
• Plastic bags are used for an avg of 12 mins spend years at sea, causing harm to animals and contaminating our seafood.
• Plastic bags cause harm to animals. As they break into small particles, they contaminate our seafood.
• Plastic contamination in our waters threatens our seafood industry (responsible for $500 million in income and 16,000 jobs in Washington State
• Other cities like Austin and Los Angeles have banned them
• Other countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, China, Ireland have enacted laws to ban or tax single-use plastic bags.

• New York State - Impact of Single Use Plastic Bags
• California- Why ban plastic bags?

• Are more fuel- and water-efficient to manufacture than paper bags or cotton bags
• Cause 1/7 the emissions to transport than paper bags
• Take up much less space in landfills
• Are single use. You have to reuse bags of other materials to equal the carbon emissions of single-use bags:
• Paper bags - 3 uses
• Woven plastic bags - 4 uses
• Non-woven PP bags - 11 uses
• Cotton bag - 131 uses

• American Progressive Bag Alliance - Press Release
• UK - Lifecycle Assessment of Carrier Bags