[ricardobeat]

The “efficiency” cost is being absorbed by other communities: https://www.riverkeeper.org/blogs/docket/plastic-pollution-d...

Many European cities have done fine without single-use plastic bags for years. The cost of a reusable bag is still negligible and should have no impact on purchasing power.

Finally, there is a ton of data on the impact of plastic pollution in local rivers, sea life and other ecosystems. What other data are you looking for?

[balfirevic]

How do plastic bags end up in the river? Do people just throw these things on the ground or into the river?

I wish anti-littering laws could effectively be enforced, but I realize it's tough to do.

[ricardobeat]

Studies show landfills are the source for 80% of plastic waste found in the oceans, presumably coming from badly managed landfills where garbage washed out by rain, or illegal dumping.

[balfirevic]

Can you share a link to studies?

There was a discussion about sources of ocean plastic pollution and good amount of source-digging done by fellow HN user here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18731171

There does not seem to be definitive data on the source of plastic pollution in the oceans, so I would really like to see the sources for "80% ocean plastic is from the landfills".

[llukas]

Who cares how those bags end up there?

To figure it out and then properly enforce you'd need spend resources that could be better used elsewhere.

[gubbrora]

If we know how they end up there it will help understand how well solutions will work obviously. Are people flushing them down the toilet? Does the wind catch the bag before anyone can react? Do people throw them on the ground because their pockets are full and there is no trash bin for miles?

[ricardobeat]

Hint: they don't disappear after use.

[balfirevic]

The sarcasm doesn't explain how they end up in the environment instead of being buried in the landfill or burned at the garbage-burning facility.

[dTal]

The minutiae doesn't matter. Every bag that doesn't end up in a landfill or incinerated, will end up causing trouble in the environment. You know the disposal rate won't be 100%. Why worry about the specifics?

[kortilla]

Are you serious? You don’t even care if the bags are actually coming from the the locations where the bags are being banned?

[Wowfunhappy]

To play devil's advocate a bit: If most of the plastic bags in NYC were coming from New Jersey, that wouldn't be a reason to allow them in New York. It would just emphasize that they should be restricted in as many jurisdictions as possible.

[balfirevic]

I don't think that particular reasoning works - perhaps New Yorkers (hypothetically) behave very nicely and properly dispose of plastic bags, so there is no need for ban.

[Wowfunhappy]

> Do people just throw these things on the ground or into the river?

Sadly, yes. I have seen people in NYC literally drop plastic bags on the ground.