WASHINGTON – On Thursday, the journal Science published a study that analyzed data collected by volunteers with Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup. The annual event, now in its 40th year, mobilizes hundreds of thousands of volunteers annually to remove trash from beaches and waterways around the world. The study shows that plastic bag policies lead to a 25% – 47% reduction of plastic bags in the environment where they are implemented. Ocean Conservancy has long advocated for such policy measures, and issued an analysis of its cleanup data in September 2024 that drew similar conclusions. 

Ocean Conservancy’s Senior Director of Conservation Cleanups Allison Schutes released the following statement:

“Data collection has been a critical and unique component of the International Coastal Cleanup since the effort first launched in 1986. We always remind volunteers and our partner organizations that the data they collect are used to make real change, and these findings are a great example of that.”

Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Plastics Policy Dr. Anja Brandon released the following statement:

“Plastic bags are a menace to wildlife and among the most common pollutants on beaches and waterways, so we need policies that target them specifically. Past Ocean Conservancy analysis has shown that bans are effective, but this peer-reviewed study confirms it loudly. We hope that this study inspires more states and local governments to take action and ban single-use plastic grocery bags.”

Other quick facts about plastic bags:

• Plastic bags are very dangerous to wildlife. Ingestion of plastic bags has been linked to death in many species, including marine mammals and endangered sea turtles.
• On average, plastic bags are only used for 12 minutes before being thrown away.
• Plastic bags are hard to recycle and lightweight, so they leak into the environment at higher rates than other plastic items. 
• In 2024 alone, ICC volunteers cleaned up over 500,000 grocery bags, and 500,000 other bags, totalling more than 1,000,000 plastic bags removed from the environment.

Additional resources on plastic bag pollution:

• ICC Annual reports
• Plastics Policy 101 report
• Charting a course to plastic free beaches

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Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram.