Italy has become the first nation in Europe to pass a nationwide ban on plastic grocery bags:
Stores in Italy, which uses 20 billion bags a year (one-fifth of all European use), will be able to give out their remaining plastic bags, but once they're gone, they can only offer paper, biodegradable plastic or cloth bags.
Others, like China, have found success in plastic bag fees. Earlier this year, Washington, D.C., saw plastic bag use drop by 85 percent one month after a five-cent fee for bags went into effect. Ireland saw a similar cut in plastic bag use after a fee imposed in 2002.
