“Paper bags or plastic?” asks a grocery clerk in Des Moines. You no longer hear that question in some other cities, including San Francisco. In 2007, San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to ban grocery stores from using plastic bags. Since then, many other places have phased out the distribution of plastic bags. In fact, as of 2026, twelve states had banned disposable plastic shopping bags. But some places have no plans to phase out plastic bags. In fact, ten states have banned laws that ban plastic bags! 

Supporters say banning plastic bags is a good strategy. They cite research that says plastic bags are bad for the environment. Our country uses over 100 billion plastic bags per year, and the bags are piling up in landfills. Most plastic is not biodegradable, so plastic bags will stay in landfills for hundreds of years. Plastic bags also litter the streets. Some drift out to sea and harm sea creatures. People who support the ban say that our earth is being polluted. These people argue that we need government intervention to protect the earth and its resources. 

Some people recommend using paper bags instead of plastic, since paper breaks down quickly in landfills. However, the data suggest that disposable paper bags may not be better. After all, we cut down trees to make paper bags. In addition, paper bags weigh more than plastic bags, so it takes more energy to transport them from factories to stores. They are also not as strong as plastic, so people tend to use more of them. 

Opponents of plastic bag bans say local governments should not be allowed to ban plastic bags because it is a matter of private business and individual freedom. Since businesses pay for the bags, not taxpayers, they believe it should be up to each business to decide what bags they provide their customers. Some businesses argue that customers need bags in order to shop in a store, so people should always have the option of disposable bags. They say it’s not fair for places to regulate the use of plastic bags, since paper bags are more expensive, and customers may not always have reusable bags with them. Some store owners also point out that there are other ways to help the environment. For instance, stores can set up recycling bins for plastic bags and provide incentives for people to reuse bags or bring their own reusable bags. 

Washington, D.C. has an alternative strategy for reducing all disposable bags. The local government added a five cent fee on both paper and plastic bags. Their goal was to encourage people to bring their own reusable bags and to reduce the trash in the nearby Anacostia River. Before the bag fee, almost half of the trash in the river was plastic bags. Since the bag fee began, the number of plastic bags found in the river has decreased by 75 percent. Still, some people argue that a fee is not enough and that it would be better to ban plastic bags completely. 

What is your opinion? Should local governments ban plastic bags, or should the individual stores decide?