Abstract
Policies to curb the use of disposable shopping bags take two main forms: (a) They provide market-based incentives, imposing fees or taxes on disposable shopping bags or offering rewards for bringing reusable bags from home, or (b) they impose command-and-control policies, which ban certain types of disposable shopping bags altogether. In this talk, I will review evidence on the effectiveness of these policy design choices through a behavioral economics lens and highlight best practices for policymakers considering similar legislation. I will also discuss open questions and areas for future research related to these policies.