A New Look at the Bag Scourge
by Bagman on June 12, 2009
Faced with the growing blight, countries from Ireland to China and cities from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., have moved to ban or tax their use.
What most studies agree is most beneficial to the environment — is for shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to the grocery store.
” Some environmentally focused grocery stores, such as Whole Foods, report many of their shoppers have begun switching to reusable bags, though they are still in the minority.
Ireland imposed a tax on plastic grocery bags in 2002, as growth spawned a litter problem that, according to the Irish government, threatened the country’s “clean, green image.”
San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban conventional plastic grocery bags, in 2007.
Ireland says its “plastax” slashed the use of plastic grocery bags in the country by more than 90%.
But getting Americans to recycling their plastic grocery bags, even at home, takes effort.
Faced with the growing blight, countries from Ireland to China and cities from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., have moved to ban or tax their use.
What most studies agree is most beneficial to the environment — is for shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to the grocery store.
Some environmentally focused grocery stores, such as Whole Foods, report many of their shoppers have begun switching to reusable bags, though they are still in the minority.
Ireland imposed a tax on plastic grocery bags in 2002, as growth spawned a litter problem that, according to the Irish government, threatened the country’s “clean, green image.”
San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban conventional plastic grocery bags, in 2007.
Ireland says its “plastax” slashed the use of plastic grocery bags in the country by more than 90%.
But getting Americans to recycling their plastic grocery bags, even at home, takes effort.
online.wsj.com
Tagged as:
paper bags,
plastic bags
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