apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

That's the way it works in sweden. If you live in an apartment building and the trash is not sorted all the tenants get fined.

I like/don't like the tax. I use cloth bags for almost everything but on occasion I like plastic bags when I run out at home (every 6ish months) because I use them for other things. Like poop pickup and litter removal. Otherwise I have to pay for overpriced 'animal waste' receptacles which are just plastic bags.

i use the plastic bags for my tiny recycling bin (so it doesn't get stinky) and for poop. and for packing my shoes in my suitcase so nothing else gets dirty. i began using my reusable totes a year ago but i find that every 3rd trip i like to get plastic bags... though i feel guilty.

There would be no need for a tax if we just got rid of them completely. There was a time in our recent history that there we no plastic bags and we got along just fine without them. Just think....If we got rid of them entirely what would happen to the cost of out groceries. DOWN DOWN DOWN. Recycling is good, but think of all the energy we would save if there were no bags to recycle, and all the fuel that would be saved from not needing to transport them. That goes for paper too, a bag that takes more energy to produce and to recycle than plastic. The compostable stuff is a step in the right direction, but they cost sooo much to manufacture that it will inturn force the price of what you are buying to go up. Our society (with some exceptions) doesn't seem to do anything unless forced to do it.

going along with what pkswede said, when i was visiting my friend in sweden, you had to bring your own bag to the grocery store or pay for them... and this was 7 years ago! everyone loads up their backpacks and packs their own groceries.

when i lived in england, tesco (a grocery chain) had a "bag for life" it was about 15 pence (30cents) to purchase and was a heavier plastic bag that if it ever ripped or got over used, you could turn it in a get a new one. why can't companies come up with similar ideas?

these initiatives work, but as americans, we're just spoiled and resistant to change and inconvienience. i say this as a proud american, but as one who also lived in europe for six years. we need to get on the ball and stop being lazy.

*jumping off the soapbox now*

Tip: If you run out of plastic bags, visit the bag recycling booth in the front of the grocery store. No one will mind if you grab a bundle and take them home. That's what I do.

I lived in Denmark a decade ago and you had to buy your bags there, too. Shame it takes the US so long to get on board with these things.

They banned plastic bags in Bombay years ago and I remember wondering when they'd do it in the US. Fining someone a huge amount for plastic bags makes a lot of sense to me. People who don't care about the environment suddenly start to do so when forced to pay up :-p My mom keeps a basket with old cloth bags in it by the door so we can take one on our way out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1329600.stm

It's fantastic and I hope it's implemented in all cities in the US. I mean, if India and Bangladesh can do it, why does the world's richest country hem and haw before implementing a simple, sensible solution :-/

Uh oh I typed 'world's richest country' but now I'm not sure. Off to check facts...

Animalhouze, very interested in hearing about the "bag for life." I've purchased several fabric bags offered by local grocers, but have ripped all three carrying heavy groceries and library books. None were offered with a replacement guarantee.

I use plastic bags for lining my trashcans and picking up poop, but always have more on hand than I need.

I horde plastic bags. I try to get all of my friends to give them to me, rather than toss them. Even torn bags can be used and re-used in a variety of ways.

I've posted this before, and I'll post again -- if we get rid of the plastic bags, what exactly are you going to line your trash can with? Unless you're willing to waste the water to wash the bin every time you empty your trash, you're going to have line it with something. And if you end up going to the grocery store to buy a box of plastic liners, it's totally defeating the purpose of trying to be green.

I am not pro-plastic bags, but they have many useful purposes; one of which is that they're somewhat leak-proof if not broken. I just wonder how some of you would feel if your takeout food spilled liquid through the paper sack or cloth bag you're carrying instead of a plastic bag? I'd rather that it pooled inside the bottom of a plastic bag than all over my car seat, or floor or worse, clothes.

The bag tax is a stupid idea -- conceived by a state that doesn't know how to balance its budget. Shopping bags (no matter which material) by nature is part of the merchants' operating expenses -- yes, one way or another we the consumer pays; but I'd rather the state mandate a biodegradable plastic bag, and/or build the tax into the costs of goods -- either way will still be much more economical than 25 cents per bag. Not to mention psychologically it's just less offensive. (Why not deduct 25 cents from the total sales transaction for every bag we don't use? That'd be a much better incentive for me.)

**rant mode off**

I think the bag tax will work... if the cost is upfront, at checkout, paid for by the consumer... not absorbed and hidden in the cost by the retailer.

We all know Ikea started charging for bags, and on a recent visit to the local store I saw only a few and only fully loaded plastic bags leaving. I'd love to see their bag use numbers.

Charging per bag has proven quite effective in Ireland. A small financial pain can quite an incentive to those not otherwise motivated to make change.

@craefish, I recently bought a messenger bag by Act2GreenSmart that shows an energy savings in making it via recycled PET (plastic bottle) vs virgin material, and how many bottles were diverted. To drive home the point, they tell you how long the average laptop would run on this saved energy.

Apparently this is from a company that was making all virgin material laptop bags until last year, when they committed to shift to entirely rPET based. Something I think is definitely to be supported. And hmm, their tote looks quite handy for carrying groceries :-)

They're at www.act2greensmart.com