Freshwater Science: Why Environmentally Conscious Shoppers Don’t Bring Reusable Bags

Single-use plastic bags are everywhere in society, but despite their convenience, they can have negative impacts on the environment and on waste management.

Farmers markets seem like a logical place to encourage the use of reusable bags, but when Jill Bartolotta and Dr. Scott Hardy at Ohio Sea Grant examined the effects of giving out free reusable bags at Ohio farmers markets, they found that just having bags available is not an effective approach to reducing the use of plastic bags. Instead, communities should consider focused approaches like bag bans and education and outreach strategies, as well as financial and policy incentives.

The webinar is free, but registration is required to receive log-in information.