Researchers find that nationwide policies to ban plastic bags may be paying off, with fewer showing up during coastal cleanups.

New research indicates there’s at least one strategy that works to curb an especially problematic and unnecessary form of plastic trash. Local and state level bans on plastic bags successfully mitigate plastic bag litter along beaches, lakes, and rivers, according to a study published June 19 in the journal Science.

Plastic bag bans and fees reduce shoreline litter, but research has found they aren't enough to solve global plastic pollution.