Because discarding plastic bags can create litter, overload landfills, and harm wildlife, banning plastic bags is becoming more common in American cities.
The gerund is <u><em>discarding</em></u> and the object is plastic bags.
Explanation:
A gerund phrase is a phrase made up of a gerund and any associated modifiers or objects. A gerund is a noun formed from a verb stem plus ing (a present participle). and it can act as a subject, an object, or a nominative predicate.
