Pandemic Changes Plastic Bag Bans, Plastic Reduction

By Gillian Flaccus Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Just weeks ago, cities and even states across the U.S. were busy banning straws, limiting takeout containers and requiring shoppers to bring reusable bags or pay a small fee.

The pandemic is quickly changing that.

Massachusetts and Illinois just temporarily banned reusable bags in grocery stores, and Oregon this week put a pause on its new plastic bag ban as the coronavirus rages.

The plastics industry has seized the moment and is lobbying to overturn existing bans on single-use plastics.

Environmentalists worry that COVID-19, and the fear it engenders, could set back the movement to eliminate single-use plastics for years.