PlasticBagLaws.org was founded by Jennie Romer, Esq. in 2010 to share resources on laws that limit the use of plastic bags. By making this information accessible, the site aims to empower cities and states considering laws for their own communities.
The site tracked U.S. bag laws continuously from 2010 through October 2021, when regular updates paused. Updating resumed in 2025; the earlier maps, fact sheets, and case files are preserved in the archive exactly as published.
Jennie Romer is a lawyer, author, and advisor on plastic pollution policy, recycling, and safer chemicals. For two decades she has helped cities, states, and federal agencies design and pass laws that reduce single-use plastic at the source, including U.S. participation in the United Nations plastic pollution treaty negotiations.
She led the Plastic Pollution Initiative at the Surfrider Foundation, served at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention, and led North America policy at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. She is the author of Can I Recycle This? (Penguin Random House, 2021) and now advises through Romer Advisory.
Can I Recycle This? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics — Penguin Random House, 2021. Illustrated by Christie Young, with a kids’ edition for younger readers. More at jennieromer.com
Jennie’s law journal articles on bag laws — Tulane Environmental Law Journal (2014) and Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal (2012 and 2007) — are in the library with the rest of the research. Studies & Journal Articles
At the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: the agency’s comment letter on the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides review, on recyclable claims, the chasing-arrows symbol, and related environmental marketing claims. An EPA document, which Jennie signed on the agency’s behalf as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention, April 20, 2023. PDFOfficial docket
With the Surfrider Foundation: the Plastic Bag Law Activist Toolkit (2019) and its Reusable Bag Addendum (2020).
PlasticBagLaws.org is not a nonprofit organization.