The plastic industry claims these heavy-duty plastic bags can be re-used up to 125 times. That's how, by law, they are allowed to be called "reusable." ...

In New Jersey, 2022's ban on single-use plastic and paper bags has meant grocery delivery services have switched to heavy-duty bags. Their customers complain of a glut of reusable, heavy-duty bags ...

Per the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the ban on single-use plastic bags enacted in Washington D.C. in 2010 resulted in a 75% decrease in the number of bags found in trash traps in the Anacostia River.

For now, some folks can’t avoid getting plastic bags. That includes people who rely on Instacart or other delivery services, which default to the heavy plastic versions now sold in stores.

Degradable plastic bags have a lot of chemicals and heavy metals in them. ... Biodegradable plastic bags are similar to degradable bags with added microorganisms that speed up the breakdown process.

In 2020 the Washington legislature passed a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags. It’s now been in effect for almost a year, and the results are more waste.