You folks are going on logic. I personally use reusables, but here is what happens in a bona fide sanctuary city:
A) People carry their stuff with no bags. Stacks of stuff.
B) Supermarkets will have a gimmick giving you a reusable one. Check how many end up in the trash cans.
C) Malls are fun for people. With all the stickers to bring your own bags. I like hearing big department store clerks tell customers that they don’t offer any bags at all. Especially during “the holidays”.
And of course, yeah, the hospitalizations. And, I do wonder if shoplifting increases at all.
In one of the other cities that did this, I heard it was to decrease trash. The trash surcharges on public bills didn’t go down, as well as no noticeable decrease in trash on the roads, no matter how much they claimed otherwise.
The point of banning plastic bags? For politicians to pretend they’re doing something, while doing nothing at all.