We have had a ban on plastic for a few years, here at the Outer Banks NC. Especially in Dare and Hyde county. There were plastic bags littered on the beach and getting caught on the sea grass. Probably discarded by some surf fisherman that used them to carry bait. Bags stuck on seagulls in flight and inside blue fish.
Should they make up their minds? No. Whimsical, burdensome decisions are the prerogative of our betters.
FYI, paper bags cost about 3X more than plastic.
Personally, I don't mind the enviro-nuts using tote-bags. If they want filth and disease for themselves, so be it. Maybe they'll learn something. But probably not.
Yes, I have heard that it can be a bigger problem in coastal areas. Ocean pollution that may affect local sea life, etc. That is for those municipalities to decide for themselves based on their circumstances. I don’t know if the bill takes that into account. However, I don’t see anyone proposing free market friendly solutions to the problem of plastic bag litter. Deposits on glass soda bottles, for instance, kept them out of the ditches in the 70’s and tin cans were valuable enough at one time for street people to turn them into cash. Seems like buying plastic bags from people we are now just giving a welfare check and foodstamps to would be a better use of our money. We are letting liberals jump too quickly to their big brother legislative solutions without considering ideas that could really benefit everybody. Incentive rather than punishment is always healthier to a free society.