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Discussions on banning single-use plastics are mostly a distraction to help corporate polluters. Most people are ignorant of the ratio on commercial pollution and consumer pollution. Just look at the mountains of car tires that get burned each year. That single tire weighs way more than all the plastic bags and straws you'll ever use in your life.
This title could also be “Disposable product use skyrocketed during pandemic”. >

Yeah I bet a large amount of it has to do with gloves, laboratory pipettes, the at-home test covid test kits, people doing more take home with plastic utensils vs eating in with metal utensils, etc.
Companies that can make use of paper packaging have been trying to shift away from plastic. >

All the PPE and all the takeout and delivery groceries would have been huge contributors. I’ve still got single use utensils and bags from 2020 and I imagine I’m not alone. >

Many food places in my State transitioned to plant based plastic type of containers during the transition away from styrofoam as actual biodegradable friendly alternatives were not widely available. I got a stack of containers surviving no problem in the dishwasher two years later. >

With the current inflation based shrinking of products this will only get worse. Food items are becoming a higher package to food ratio right before our eyes. >

Really wishing we could reverse this somehow, but that's the catch - how. :P >

Mandate a tax in ratio to the package size, shape, weight, and ease of being recyled.
Offer recycling cash back paid by the new tax.
You're welcome politicans, now just fucking do it.