| NYC & Seattle Want You To Pay For Plastic |
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| Written by Dave Loos | |
| Monday, 17 November 2008 | |
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If New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his way, residents may soon be pulling our their plastic to pay for plastic. Or perhaps they'll just dig out a nickel and a penny from their pockets to pay for the six cent "plastic bag tax" that Bloomberg has proposed for all city shoppers at the register. Outside of the U.S., this is hardly a revolutionary idea. Many Europeans have been paying for plastic for years. As the New York Times reported, after Ireland implemented a 33 cent tax in 2002, plastic bag usage dropped 94 percent within weeks. After a year, almost everyone has made the switch to reusable bags. In New York, city officials have said the new fee could generate an additional $6 million per year, not to mention some much greener shopping habits. And the Big Apple isn't the only city considering a plastic bag tax. In 2009, Seattle residents will vote on a proposed 20-cent fee for every disposable grocery bag. Anti-tax lobbying efforts in Seattle are of course being funded by the chemical industry. While both proposals are encouraging, we wonder whether a six -- or even 20-cent fee -- is enough to change consumer behavior. Earlier this year, New York City Council members heard testimony from environmental groups that a plastic tax of at least 25 cents is needed in order to turn shoppers toward reusable bags.
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  written by Preston, November 29, 2008
I wouldn't mind a small tax on plastic bags. You're talking about pocket change. Nobody is going to feel a financial burden because they were charged an extra 30cents on their total bill. It will encourage people to bring their own bags and cut down on the overall amount of plastic used in this manner.
Colon Cleanse  written by tiffany, December 06, 2008
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Yeah, OK, we can be the change that we want to see in the world. But unless powerful people in powerful positions want to be that change as well, nothing's going to change.
So now, finally, there's a place where you can go for news and analysis of politics from an environmental perspective.
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