17 cent plastic bag tax gains acceptability among citizens

Mary O'Keefe from Pompano Beach initially though California’s proposed 17 cent tax on plastic bags was ridiculous and a burden on the consumer. But she’s changed her mind.

“Then I went to my local grocery store and again came home with numerous plastic bags. Several bundles had two and three bags for one item that was not breakable nor particularly heavy,”

“I have changed my position. The one dismissed value of this proposal was the awareness of what we waste. Even though our behavior — not the plastic bags — is the problem, it would inspire awareness and conservation. We apparently need constant reminders or reprimands. Other countries that have implemented such a program report great success”

Mary’s observation is correct. A tax on plastic shopping bags in the Republic of Ireland has cut their use by more than 90% and raised millions of euros in revenue.

But many residents continue to believe that this will raise their cost of living, acting under the assumption that reusable bags are going to be expensive. Rajiv Badlani of Norquest Brands in Ahmedabad, India writes a daily weblog to correct this impression.
“Fabric bags are amazingly economical when we ship them directly from India” he claims, adding that he can deliver them to communities at under 99 cents a bag, printed with sponsors’ messages.

More information and perspectives on this issue are available at http://www.badlani.com/blog along with success stories of how some Australian communities have completely got rid of plastic bags without even imposing a tax.

Spread the word. There is useful information there. Americans don’t like being taxed; they prefer taking voluntary action.
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Norquest Brands is a small organisation based in Ahmedabad, India, that seeks to offer viable and attractive alternatives to plastic bags, which they consider a serious threat to our planet’s continued good health.