Policies aimed at curbing the use of single-use plastic bags are sometimes working against their intentions, a new study has found.
When two Texas cities banned stores from giving away free plastic grocery bags, sales of such bags skyrocketed in response.Marketing Research Journal.
The researchers found that the longer a policy is in place, the longer the behavior caused by its regulatory prohibitions persists.
“We expected positive ripple effects, such as customers becoming more environmentally conscious and consuming less single-use plastic and paper products,” said Hai Che, an associate professor at the University of California, Riverside. in a statement.
“But the data showed otherwise. People ended up buying more plastic,” Choi continued.
To draw their conclusions, the researchers first quantified plastic bag sales by analyzing barcode scanner data on consumer purchases.
The Dallas City Council imposed a 5-cent fee on disposable bags for five months in 2015, before a manufacturer lawsuit erupted and the city rescinded the policy, the authors noted. The study found that sales initially plummeted when free bags became available again, but eventually returned to pre-policy levels within 13 months.
Meanwhile, the Austin City Council had a ban on single-use bags in place for five years instead of five months, from 2013 until 2018, when the Texas Supreme Court repealed such bans statewide.
After the demonetization, the amount of plastic bags purchased gradually decreased, but did not return to pre-policy levels even after 18 months, the conclusion of the study period. The authors found that the carryover effect remained 38.6% above baseline at that point.
The researchers compared these negative spillover effects to a previous study conducted in California, which found that nominal plastic bag fees led many consumers to buy produce bags to use on other items. Turns out we started getting plastic bags.
A ban on free plastic bags may prompt some customers to increase their use of reusable bags, pack more groceries in disposable bags, or go bag-free altogether. However, the authors noted that some people may choose to buy garbage bags instead.
Focusing specifically on two Texas cities, the researchers conducted a “break-even analysis” to examine whether plastic bag policies were able to reduce overall plastic waste, along with any negative effects.
Studies show that to offset the extra bags purchased by these policies, consumers would need to use one fewer bag for every seven grocery trips in Dallas and one less bag for every five trips in Austin. It is said that there is.
“Even a small reduction in the use of plastic bags can offset the increase in plastic consumption from garbage bags,” Choi said, suggesting that even if these policies were abolished, there could be some benefits. he suggested.
Choi also emphasized the importance of considering the research results in the context of other environmental policies, not just the use of plastic bags.
“Similar spillover effects have been demonstrated in policies targeting sugar-sweetened beverages, energy efficiency, and health incentives,” Choi said.
“In both cases, behaviors that were not directly targeted by the policy, such as buying more sugary snacks when carbonated drinks are taxed, offset or detract from the policy's main purpose. “It's possible,” he added.
