Plastic bags have been banned in Philadelphia since 2021, but almost a quarter of businesses are not complying, according to a new report from PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center.

PennEnvironment staff visited more than 80 businesses to investigate whether they are adhering to the plastic bag ban, which was passed by City Council in 2019. The nonprofit found that 20% of the stores offered plastic bags to customers. 

More than half of the businesses did not comply with a new law that requires them to charge customers 10 cents for paper or reusable bags, according to the report. 

The requirement, enacted in January, aims to encourage people to bring their own reusable bags. Stores offering takeout and delivery are exempt from charging the fee, but cannot provide plastic bags. 

Plastic’s environmental impact

Plastic bags often end up in landfills and incinerators and can break down into tiny microplastics, polluting the environment.

“If we’re bringing a reasonable option every time we go to the store, if we are using fewer single-use bags, not switching one-to-one from plastic to paper, then we’re going to have less waste going to our landfills, our incinerators, we’ll see less waste ending up on our streets, less litter, and hopefully a cleaner, greener Philadelphia,” said Faran Savitz, zero waste advocate with the PennEnvironment Research & Policy Center. 

Savitz said some of the businesses surveyed did not know about the requirements.