"In recent years, there has been much eagerness to set plastic reduction goals and bans, with mixed results. Multilayer packaging was supposed to be phased out as of 2018, but the law was amended and the phasing out did not occur (CSE, 2020). Similarly, many states have tried to ban plastic carry bags, however, mixed enforcement of this law coupled with alternatives such as woven-polypropylene (looks like cloth, but is really plastic) and oxy-bio bags (marketed as compostable but really made from fossil fuel derivatives) have complicated realizing the phase out of plastic bags.

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Even with clarified definitions on plastic carrying bags such as, “Compostable plastics” means plastic that undergoes degradation by biological processes during composting to yield CO2, water, inorganic compounds and biomass at a rate consistent with other known compostable materials and does not leave visible, distinguishable or toxic residue,” as provided by the Ministry of the Environment (2011), challenges with implementation and enforcement arise."