Plastic bag bans are mostly theater — they make shoppers feel green while doing little for the environment. I've watched my city swap thin bags for thicker 'reusable' ones, and people just toss those after one trip, increasing plastic waste per bag. The real fix is a carbon price on virgin resin, not symbolic bans that miss the production side. Unless we target the source, we're just rearranging deck chairs on a melting iceberg.