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15. Plastic Bags

Believe it or not, walking out of your local grocery store with multiple plastic bags is a privilege. Plastic bags are banned or taxed in several countries throughout the world.

Denmark kicked off the wave of plastic-bag control by charging fees in 1993. In 2002, Bangladesh became the first country to ban plastic bags after they were damaging the country’s sewage system. The Philippines has a similar measure. In Rwanda, even victors have to relinquish some of their plastic bags.

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In the United States, there are at least 133 anti-bag regulations with more in the works. By 2019, the European Union expects to have cut plastic-bag use by 80 percent.

Supporters of these bans site environmental concerns. According to environmentalists, plastic is the largest source of ocean litter and plastic bags contributed to ocean debris which kills 1 million sea birds and 100,000 mammals per year.