Bag the Plastic
By George Anderson
Ireland’s success in using a tax to reduce the impact of plastic shopping bags on the Republic’s environment has led many national and local governments around the world to consider imposing tariffs of their own.
While Ireland’s tax has been a success in reducing the number of plastic bags found in landfills and along the road while simultaneously generating funds for environmental programs, there are other private means of achieving many of the same benefits, writes Dan Magestro, a postdoctoral research associate in the physics department at Ohio State University, in the student publication The Lantern.
For those who may believe that plastic bags are not an issue of concern, the writer points to Environmental Protection Agency numbers showing 1.63 million tons of plastic bags making their way into landfills in 2003 alone.
Still, with considerably more landfill space than the Republic of Ireland, is there really reason for consumers, businesses or government to be concerned over the buildup of plastic bags?
The author clearly believes so and, while not a substantive part of his argument, a lead-in sentence suggests another reason consumer and retailers should opt for something other than plastic. “For one thing,” he writes, “a typical plastic bag gets its start in a Middle East oil field.”
Rather than waiting on governments to impose taxes to reduce the use of plastic bags, Mr. Magestro believes that retailers can make an immediate impact on the problem. Using Wal-Mart as an example, he writes the company could “single-handedly change wasteful habits in our shopping routine. A five-cent per bag charge company-wide would do more immediate good than any legislation.”
Moderator’s Comment: Would most American consumers support a retailer charging an extra per bag fee for plastic or paper bags? If a retailer were to
consider such an initiative, how would they sell it to consumers? Is there another option other than high-density polypropylene bags for retailers? –
George Anderson – Moderator
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16 Comments on "Bag the Plastic"
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The Superstore grocery chain in Canada has been charging for plastic bags for years. The only complaint I can see is that they are of low quality and a little small. They are recyclable and reusable which offsets peoples concern about price. There is something about being environmentally conscientious that helps sell plastic bags.
I think retailers would love charging for bags; both paper and plastic. The result would be less effective for the environment and better for the profitability for retailers, though.
In the end, what the consumer wants is an effective way to transport their goods home. Convincing them that they are paying for what they get today and convincing them to shift their habits wouldn’t be easy. A tax would result in considerable push back. However, I think there are some possibilities to create loyalty here.
Think of them. Create the best solution. Then you may have something. However, unless you create a value here for the consumer, you’ll likely face stiff opposition in any other alternative.
It might fit the ‘psychographics’ of the Whole Foods and health food store customers. A space efficient reusable alternative bag would need to be a significant part of any test program. While I am generally anti-regulation, I do have a strong ‘user pays’ inclination. The cost for the space, breakdown, and clean-up should be born by the user, so I would personally be in favor of a tax that is enumerated to the customer. To answer the question posed — no, the preponderance of Americans would strongly oppose.
No way the majority of people are going to sit still and willingly pay for something they now get for free, no matter how much some “expert” tries to convince them is it for the greater good.
Rather than add another “tax” (by any other name it still smells as bad) we just need to provide another viable recycling option. As others have stated, the bags in our house don’t go from store to counter to trash – they make a multitude of stops along the way, and the ones that are left are taken to the local grocery store’s bag recycling bin (where, in reality, they probably go straight to the dumpster!).
I spent many years in the supply buying business, and the propaganda on both sides (Save a Tree! We’re running out of landfill space!) is still apparently flowing at full force.
Consumers are already paying for the bags they get at stores. Their cost is factored into the prices consumes pay for products. Having a per bag charge would only make it more transparent.
Could it be optional? Why can’t the people that want to pay for paper be allowed to do so? The majority of people are not willing to pay for paper, but I would be.
In my opinion, most people in the USA probably do think of plastic bags as being an alarming issue. It would be like charging for a cup at McDonalds or being required to bring in your own. Americans won’t go for it. What do the Irish line their trash cans with? How do they dispose of dog waste? Maybe I don’t want to know.
I’m not so sure that charging for plastic would bring on mass revolt….
In packaging studies that my firm has conducted, we found that women in particular have a real issue with excess packaging, many come up with all kinds of alternative uses for plastic grocery bags, juvenile products zipper bags (those that hold anything from socks to head supports), etc. They really believe that it is their duty to do so. The unintended side-effect may be that consumers then give themselves permission to pile on the plastic/over-use because they “paid for it!”
There used to be a low-end closeout warehouse called “Spags” near Boston, which had a slogan something like, “There are no bags at Spags.” People packed their purchases in leftover cartons or brought shopping bags of their own. The policy emphasized the low prices and low overhead. Unless several major retailers all started charging for bags at the same time, the first to do so would get some positive feedback mixed with a barrage of anger at the checkout. They could try to sell inexpensive reusable totes (similar to IKEA, for example) but the anger would be huge, unless the policy was entirely customer-optional. If the customers were told that the money for bags was going to a great charity, there might be less anger, but the policy would still have to be optional, or the anger would be memorable.
Aldi has been charging for years in Europe. People just grew up with it and take it in stride. If you try to do that on a widespread basis in the U.S., you’re flirting with danger. People are starting to rebel against all the extra costs that are being levied on them. To start charging them for bags would raise some hackles. You could do it in ultra-liberal environments like Berkeley, California where consumers — high income ones especially — are more environmentally aware. Do it in the New York market and you’re doomed.