When I was but a wee traveler, I remember thinking it was so weird that the grocery store down the road from Kilmurry Village was charging me 5 cents for a plastic bag. It was so off putting! The sheer audacity of the Irish, charging for a plastic bag? What cheap skates. However, I do remember my physical action- next time I went to the grocery store, I brought my backpack because I was not going to buy a plastic bag.
When Ireland instated the plastic bag ban in 2002, that was the point of the operation. They wanted to cut down on the use of plastic bags and it worked. There was a 94% reduction of plastic bags within a short period after the tax was instated. It also gave revenue to the government. However, there was an increase in other types of bags bought- trash bags, for example. While the litter in the Emerald Isle has dropped, the consumption of plastic has not. And the thicker bags that the Irish are buying in replacement are actually a lot harder to recycle. In terms of litter and grocery bag usage, this ban was a success. In terms of using plastics, not so much.
Here in lies where there is the need for a ban and not a tax or other form of compromise. By allowing plastic bags of any sort to still exist in societies that are based on one-time-use convenience, we will continue to pollute our environment with a market substitute. Whether it be plastic, paper or a reusable bag, there are downfalls to each.
What I'm left wondering if why can't we just use burlap sacks, glass jars, woven baskets and backpacks?
When Ireland instated the plastic bag ban in 2002, that was the point of the operation. They wanted to cut down on the use of plastic bags and it worked. There was a 94% reduction of plastic bags within a short period after the tax was instated. It also gave revenue to the government. However, there was an increase in other types of bags bought- trash bags, for example. While the litter in the Emerald Isle has dropped, the consumption of plastic has not. And the thicker bags that the Irish are buying in replacement are actually a lot harder to recycle. In terms of litter and grocery bag usage, this ban was a success. In terms of using plastics, not so much.
Here in lies where there is the need for a ban and not a tax or other form of compromise. By allowing plastic bags of any sort to still exist in societies that are based on one-time-use convenience, we will continue to pollute our environment with a market substitute. Whether it be plastic, paper or a reusable bag, there are downfalls to each.
What I'm left wondering if why can't we just use burlap sacks, glass jars, woven baskets and backpacks?
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