After two delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Philadelphia has announced it will begin its plastic bag ban on July 1.

That’s potentially good news for promotional products distributors, who could sell more branded reusable alternatives like tote bags.

The legislation, which Mayor Jim Kenney signed into law in December 2019, prohibits single-use plastic bags at retail establishments across the city, as well as paper bags that don’t contain at least 40% recycled content. Although the ban will be implemented beginning next week, full prohibition will not begin until Oct. 1, and noncompliant businesses will be issued only a warning through April 1, 2022, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

In March, Philadelphia, along with the nearby suburban towns of West Chester, Narberth and Lower Merion, sued Pennsylvania over a law that prevents them from enacting or enforcing bans on single-use plastics, such as bags or straws. Despite the law, Philadelphia officials planned on implementing the ban, anyway. Philadelphians use an estimated 1 billion plastic bags a year, according to Clean Air Council attorney Logan Welde. Many of them end up as litter on city streets and in trees and waterways. It can cost millions of dollars each year to clean up, WHYY reported.

Additionally, a Pennsylvania legislator last month proposed a statewide plastic bag ban. House Bill 1382, introduced by Rep. Brian Sims of Philadelphia, would create a 15-cent paper bag fee that’s split between businesses and environmental programs. Pennsylvanians use an estimated 4.6 billion plastic bags each year, according to the Independent Fiscal Office.

Oh wow they’re banning plastic bags in Philly pic.twitter.com/qy8zNxRsch

— Kia (@thatsmykia) June 18, 2021

The war on plastic has been raging for years now. As of May, there were at least 500 local bag regulations in 28 states and Washington, D.C., according to PlasticBagLaws.org. Ban proponents say the pollution spoils natural habitat and poses a danger to wildlife, which can choke on or become caught in the disposables.

After several plastic bag bans were temporarily lifted at the beginning of the pandemic due to safety concerns, the “green wave” has now risen again in 2021, as states like Colorado are set to establish anti-plastic legislation. In February, George Washington University announced that it will be eliminating single-use plastics from campus. Other schools such as Georgetown University and the University of Montana are also pushing for a similar ban on single-use plastics.

In 1950, the world’s population of 2.5 billion produced 1.5 million tons of plastic, according to Surfers Against Sewage, a marine conservation charity based in the United Kingdom. In 2016, a global population of more than 7 billion people produced more than 320 million tons of plastic. The 2016 tally is set to double by 2034. Every day, approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into oceans, according to Surfers Against Sewage.

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