Same with re-usable bags. I read somewhere that you need to use it 37 times to make the switch from single-use plastic bags worth it. Either way, I prefer reusable bags.
I live in the Netherlands, the government here passed a law in 2016 that prohibits shops from giving out free plastic bags (the are required to charge a minimal of 25 cents for a bag).
In my opinion it works tremendously well. It took about a month for people to get used to the idea, but now you see most people bring their own reusable bags. As far as I can tell the amount of waste plastic bags on the street has reduced significantly since them.
An interesting observation was that the shopkeepers had more issues with this law than the consumers. For the first couple of months many had some lame sign saying something like 'we are very sorry that our stupid government forced us to charge you for this bag'. Some even offered 25 cents discount on their product if you took a bag with your purchase. Luckily it is now generally accepted by both the merchants and the consumers.
Co-op in the UK has an interesting approach: Their single-use bags are now bags of the type approved for the food recycling bins. They tear more easily, but they're still solid enough.
In my opinion it works tremendously well. It took about a month for people to get used to the idea, but now you see most people bring their own reusable bags. As far as I can tell the amount of waste plastic bags on the street has reduced significantly since them.
An interesting observation was that the shopkeepers had more issues with this law than the consumers. For the first couple of months many had some lame sign saying something like 'we are very sorry that our stupid government forced us to charge you for this bag'. Some even offered 25 cents discount on their product if you took a bag with your purchase. Luckily it is now generally accepted by both the merchants and the consumers.