A plastic bag ban is under consideration for adoption at the Carlsbad City Council meeting on September 10. While the intention behind such a ban is commendable, Paul Gessing, president of New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation, argues that government mandates often have unintended consequences.
Gessing cites examples from New Jersey and California to illustrate his point. "Plastic bag bans are a great example of a policy with unintended consequences," he states. In New Jersey, a law banning single-use plastic and paper bags took effect in May 2022. According to a study by Freedonia Research, while the number of plastic bags decreased by over 60 percent to 894 million bags, the consumption of plastic for alternative bags tripled. Plastic use rose from 53 million pounds before the ban to 151 million pounds after.
Gessing notes similar results in California. The Los Angeles Times editorial board recently highlighted the failure of California's plastic bag ban. "In 2014 California tossed about 157,385 tons of plastic bag waste into the trash. In 2022, plastic bags accounted for about 231,072 tons of trash. That’s nearly 50% more," he quotes from the editorial.
He questions whether Carlsbad residents want to see similar outcomes. Gessing also addresses other common arguments for plastic bag bans, such as their impact on water supplies and oceans. He references Scientific American's findings that ten rivers contribute to 93% of oceanic plastic trash, none of which are in North America or Europe.
"Banning plastic bags in Carlsbad will result in more plastic waste, not less," Gessing argues. He adds that such a ban would not reduce oceanic plastic pollution but would make life more difficult for citizens and position Carlsbad politically left of Albuquerque.
He concludes by urging Carlsbad's City Council to research thoroughly before making a decision: "Good public policy isn’t just about passing policies that feel good."
Paul Gessing leads New Mexico’s Rio Grande Foundation, an independent organization focused on promoting prosperity through limited government and economic freedom.
