During the early stages of the pandemic, many states and cities that had banned single-use plastic bags temporarily paused or reversed those laws. This was done out of an abundance of caution and in response to concerns about the cleanliness of reusable bags. However, as the public health situation has stabilized, the environmental concerns about plastic waste have returned to the forefront. This has led many of these same states to reinstate their plastic bag bans and fees in 2024 and 2025.
