New York City Proposes A Charge Per Plastic Bag At Stores
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
December 2, 2008 7:41pm CST
I've been hearing this for a few days now, but it seems here in NYC area our mayor is proposing a plan for stores to charge 6¢ per plastic bag used at all stores in an effort to "Go Green" and discourage people from using and acquiring so many plastic bags. Other cities thinking of doing this in the future will be Seattle, Los Angeles and Dallas. Other countries have already done this, including Ireland but instead of only charging 6¢ the stores there charge 33¢ per bag.
All this is to cut down on plastic bag usage which I'm in favor of, and encourage people to use recyclable bags instead, like the cloth kind of bags...I have one already and plan to get more.
Here are some articles about this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/nyregion/07bags.html
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/11/10/new-york-to-charge-for-plastic-bags/
{Warning: This is NOT a referral link but a link to articles about the Go Green effort}
So what's your take on this? Think it's a good idea? Think it's about time an idea like this came about considering how many plastic bags we use and just maybe discard away causing problems for our environment? Or do you think it sucks? Are you hoping this charge for bag will be initiated in your area to maybe change your own shopping habits? Or have you already "gone green" yourself?
12 people like this
41 responses
@chiaeugene (2225)
• China
3 Dec 08
Over here in China, we need to pay for plastic bag for purchases in supermart or megamart. even those small stores we need to pay them for bags too. the govt encourages us to bring our own bags to cut down our usage on plastic bags as part of the global efforts to save environment. we pay about 3-7 US cents for bags of different sizes.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
23 Dec 08
I actually heard that some countries have completely banned plastic bags altogether. It's almost ironic that I've read most countries that still use plastic bags initiated charging for them already, while ours is only starting to think about doing that only now
@guybrush (4658)
• Australia
3 Dec 08
Some of our little seaside towns are going plastic-bag free. One of them stopped using plastic bags in the shops a couple of years ago, and it's been going really well. They were finding sea creatures and birds killed and strangled, washed up on the shore, from being caught up in or ingesting plastic - so the entire community agreed to go bag free. Our big supermarkets still use bags and no charge for them has been applied at the moment. I must admit I'm guilty of forgetting to take my string and cloth bags (of which I have a few). When I do get plastic bags, I re-use them as bin liners - but it's still not ideal, I know.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
23 Dec 08
Whenever I do get plastic bags, I also reuse them as "garbage bags"---actually makes better sense then buying separate plastic trash liners. I'm glad the towns near you are going plastic bag free...it's sad to think that our use of plastic bags wind up killing sea creatures
@kykidd (6812)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I would have to say it's a good idea. But in the area where I was living (until recently), they would give you a discount. The local grocery stores or markets were giving people about the same, but a discount on their groceries if they brought their own bags.
Now, maybe in the bigger cities it may seem like a better idea to tax people. But in the economy today, it seems like it is a better idea to give people a break. Wouldn't that help people out more? They have been doing this for over a year now, I think. And I know quite a few people who took advantage of it.
I myself just recently had someone at a clerk tell me, when I ask for them not to give me a bag, that they would get in trouble. That had to be bogus, but it was a hardware store. And I don't see why they couldn't have just put a sticker on it or something.
Thanks for starting this discussion, and have a good evening!
3 people like this
@jerzgirl (9291)
• United States
3 Dec 08
We have two discount groceries in the area that charge for plastic bags - 2 cents for small, 10 cents for large. If you can find empty boxes in the store, you can use them instead or bring your own. And, one of our largest groceries gives discounts for each "green" bag used to pack groceries. Plastic bags ARE a costly item for stores, so it does save them money for us to use something else - and they don't bio-degrade in landfills, so it's beneficial to not use them.
The three stores I mentioned are Save-a-Lot and Aldi's (charge for bags) and ShopRite (discount for using green bags).
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
23 Dec 08
I wonder why it's taking NY so long to catch on to this idea though...And NY is supposed to be so progressive
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
3 Dec 08
Hi pye,
We had all this a few months ago, and some stores were putting out notice saying they have run out of bags so bring your own bags, but it onlt went for couple of weeks and now it semms its back to normal, people just don't get the message over here, but I still use my recycle and clothe bags when ever I go out to the supermarket.
Bright Blessings,
Tamara
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I'll have to stock on some more recyclable bags, I only have the one now and it does come in handy...I take it with me whenever I go out..just in case I buy some groceries or something
1 person likes this
@missybear (11391)
• United States
3 Dec 08
i think it's a great idea.
there's already too much plastic that doesn't degrade for a long, long time floating around our planet.
it's up to us to clean it up for the future inhabitants of our little space rock.
i'm just wondering, where are these plastic bag fees going to go.
i hope at least a percentage goes toward keeping our grocery costs at a affordable level.
2 people like this
@stvasile (7306)
• Romania
3 Dec 08
I totally support initiatives such as this one.
I travel by train a lot and I'm really sick of seeing fields of plastic bags. Not to mention the resources needed to produce this huge amount of plastic bags we use so much, plastic that stays there for thousands of years.
I use the plastic bags I get for free everyday when I buy bread over and over again until they tear. I also explicitly ask not to receive the plastic bags they put different stuff in (like clothes, medicine, etc.), and for that I carry a backpack with me.
However, I think when the authorities decide to impose such rules, destined to reduce plastic bag usage, they must also present us with an alternative, such as recycled paper bags.
@lisado (1227)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I actually have quite a few of those cloth bags, I just keep forgetting to take them to the store with me. I have around 10, I think, from 3 different stores. I actually like them, I just keep forgetting to put them back in my car. If this is what it takes to get people to recycle more, I guess this is what we have to do. Those bags are horrible on the environment. When we go to the store it isn't uncommon to get 12-15 of those bags each time, and that doesn't count where they sometimes double bag (like with gallons of milk) so the bag doesn't tear. Most stores around here don't even offer paper bags anymore, which is a shame. Plastic is "easier" and "cheaper", so they go with those. I really haven't noticed the cloth bags taking off around here. Since people have to pay for them, they don't want to buy them. When we were in Virginia Beach a lot of people used them, but here they don't. They don't stop and think that the cost of those "free" plastic bags is wrapped up in the cost of the items they buy.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (92711)
• United States
3 Dec 08
While having the right idea, I'd prefer if the places that people could recycle the bags, were more well known. Or maybe they are in New York City? Around here you can maybe come upon a place where you can recycle them, some Walmarts have bins where we can take the plastic bags we use at Walmart, and recycle them by putting them in the bins back inside of Walmart. But in other places there aren't so many places available that we know about. And it would require some leg work to look it up. And some people may not think of that. I don't know. But it probably is a bigger problem for NYC since the population is so much larger than my own city.
2 people like this
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
3 Dec 08
Check out the bags at Home depot...they are not green but orange, they have elastic on them and clips so that you can clip them to the sides of your shopping cart. They have nice flat bottom and the best bags I have seen for $.99.
We just bought some of them this weekend.
I think this is a great idea my problem is we use the plastic bags..we have 2 labs and when we walk them we clean up after them and those grocery bags are about the right side for the poop patrol,
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
23 Dec 08
I'll look at the bags from Home Depot..believe it or not there aren't any near me...LOL...poop patrol...well guess plastic bags have some good use for them..heehee
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
3 Dec 08
oh, city council here in the near by city of Toronto (Canada) have voted in favour to do the same thing. they will be charging 5 cents a bag at any given store which is ok and will encourage people to bring their own bags but it will be a pain i think because if you forget, you will have to pay. some grocery stores are already doing this here though.
1 person likes this
@mimico (3617)
• Philippines
3 Dec 08
I think this would be a good law to pass. The plastic makes will lose money of course, but over all, everyone else should benefit from it in the long run. Of course, the price per plastic shouldn't be too expensive. And paper bags should still be allowed. I wish this would be done in my country, but we're very poor so people rely on plastic a lot!
1 person likes this
@shalli17here (627)
• Indonesia
3 Dec 08
in my opinion, its a very good thing to reduce the use of plastic bag..in my country its already like that, they've charged per plastic bag for a few rupiah (Indonesian money)..but to be honest, maybe not much ppl realize wat was it use for ? is it for the salary profit or wat ? hmm..but sadly, the paper bag is not common thing in here, its still rare specially for the grocery store..so i dont know if i can say, we already go green or not..
2 people like this
@carlingtop08 (209)
•
3 Dec 08
i believe its a good idea in order to help the environment, my family have already started to do this, some shops in the uk are also charging you for using plastic bags so you may aswell bring your own bag you are saving money and also helping the earth :)
1 person likes this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
3 Dec 08
Sort of think it sucks I reuse them but we do have about 5 cloth bags but I tell ya we forget to take them with us and boy at the bags we would have to buy to put groceries in when we shop for 2 weeks at a time my SUV Is always full to the top just have roon to see thru the back window!
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (47308)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
3 Dec 08
It's happening in Toronto, too: http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2008/12/03/7614361-sun.html
Not to mention that the liquorr stores province-wide have stopped using plastic bags:
http://www.thestar.com/article/431343
All the major grocery stores have their own version of re-usable shopping bags that can be purchased (I have a few...) for about 99 cents.
1 person likes this
@bcote212 (1112)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I live in Baltimore and alot of the stores in the area charge something like 5 or 6 cents per plastic bag. I think that it is a great idea to help make us a greener city. I do feel bad because I know sometimes people are on a tight budget and getting a few extra bags though only costing a few more cents can end up making them spend more at the store. I feel that we should all use cloth bags. We are passing this earth down to our children and we want to make sure that we are giving them something great.
@di1159 (1580)
• United States
3 Dec 08
I was told my the bagger at my grocery store, that soon there would be no plastic bags available. It will be paper or the bags you can use over and over. I bought a couple of those and they are great. They are roomy and very strong and have a large capacity. My problem is I always forget to take them with me when I go shopping. I think it will be a law soon and plastic bags will become a thing of the past.
1 person likes this
@ladynetz (968)
• Canada
3 Dec 08
In Canada this is in effect for a long time now.
Stores charge around 5 cents a plastic bag, or you can use empty boxes they have on the site.
Also they have reusable bags.Some companies, give you extra points when you use these reusable bags.
I think it's a very good thing to get rid of the plastic bags.They are no good - only create environmental problems.And if we don't keep our environment clean, than who will?
1 person likes this
@mariposaman (2959)
• Canada
3 Dec 08
Toronto is doing the same. I see it as a tax grab myself as it is not a deposit but a punitive tax. Taxes should be a way of raising revenue for roads and municipal services, not as a social engineering tool to change shopping habits. I already use a cloth bag and I see a lot of shoppers doing that but it is not in the majority. Some store already have been charging 5 cents per bag, especially the discount grocery stores.
1 person likes this
