​​The Issue

Since Philadelphia implemented the plastic bag ban, we've seen encouraging progress toward a cleaner, more sustainable city. The City’s  Bag Use Study found that plastic bag use at grocery stores in the city dropped by 94% after an initial adjustment period,The study however, was based on observation in large supermarket chains and big box stores and did not include the 1500 to 2500 small-scale food stores common to our neighborhoods, Depending on where you live these are referred to as corner stores, bodegas or Papi stores, grocers, or convenience stores.  While many of these store have complied plastic bags are still showing up as litter in our neighborhoods—on our sidewalks, tangled in trees, and floating through parks. As community members committed to environmental justice and cleaner streets, we want to understand where these bags are coming from and what needs to be done to eliminate them in our neighborhoods. 

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Proposal

The Clean Philly Now initiative with Clean Water Action, Trash Academy, and Block by Block Philly are launching a community-powered survey to document where and how plastic bags are still being distributed. This grassroots tool will collect data directly from you, residents and everyday observers, to identify businesses who are still offering plastic bags at locations across the city. With sufficient responses, we can create a clear map of bag usage in our neighborhoods, allowing us to understand how to amend the law to favor reusable bags over plastic or paper take-out bags. 

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Why It Matters

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Plastic pollution isn't just an eyesore—it has real environmental, economic, and health impacts. When plastic bags break down, they don’t disappear—they become microplastics that pollute our soil and waterways, harming wildlife and entering our food chain. In neighborhoods already dealing with environmental injustice, the continued use of plastic bags contributes to systemic neglect. Paper bags are better than plastic, but they still require cutting down trees, and the process of transforming wood pulp into paper is very toxic.   By creating incentives favoring reusable bags, we’re not only cleaning our streets—we’re supporting green business practices, protecting our health, our ecosystems, and our city’s future.

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How You Can Help

Visit one or more of your local bodegas, convenience stores, and take-out restaurants in your neighborhood, and just watch:  Are they using plastic, paper, or no bags at all?  Do they have usable bags? What do they cost?  . You can help by filling out our short survey for each location—it only takes a couple of minutes and can make a real difference. The more responses we receive, the more powerful our case becomes. Share this page with your neighbors, friends, and community groups. Let’s hold businesses accountable and help make Philly cleaner and greener!

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