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From green Ireland to the Plastic States of America
Since I travel back and forth between the US and Europe very frequently, I no longer get a culture shock every time. There are some things that still get me though. One of them are plastic bags in grocery stores.
When I come back to the US, I get really annoyed because I literally get about 5 bags (paper or plastic) for about 10 items of groceries. The excess is staggering. It is a struggle to convince the baggers to NOT give me bags. It is "are you sure?" every time. Come on, is it really necessary to double bag that bottle of cheap beer?
According to the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags (that's roughly the amount of oil the US consumes in a day). Plastic bags cause over 100,000 whale, turtle and other animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food.
A lot of European countries are now talking about forcing grocery stores to charge customers for their bags. I mean openly charge them. Of course, the customer pays for them either way, but when bags are "free", they are actually covered in the cost of the food. The more bags you use, the more expensive your food. Ireland, for example was one of the first countries to pass the plastic bag tax in 2002: 33 cents if you want a bag with your purchase, which is hardly unreasonable. And guess what, within weeks, there was a 94 percent drop in plastic bag use. That is the funny thing about people - they like free stuff, even if free isn't really free.
Filed under: Activism, Europe, North America, Ireland, United States, Ecotourism
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
M.E. Williams Feb 4th 2008 3:23PM
Hmm. The thing is, and this comes up at Green Daily a lot, that paper is even worse than plastic, except that marine life doesn't eat it and get sick.
The best thing is to bring your own bags, but even then, there's the concern of how ethical and environmentally-friendly the manufacturing methods were.
There are some places in the US that charge for bags, depending (often they're deep-discount grocers), but they'd rarely charge as much as 33 cents; usually it's more like a nickel or a dime. It depends a lot on where they're located. These places haven't positioned this as an eco-friendly move, just an attempt to cut prices. Some of them offer no bags but will let you re-use their shipping boxes for free.
Jen Feb 4th 2008 3:35PM
I completely support that move. The budget chains in my area charge for bags, and as a result give out way, way, less than the premium stores. We reuse all our plastics, even if only as garbage bags.
A lot of people don't agree that government's should legislate environmental initiatives, but I think those laws become second nature to follow. And I think it is the businesses, not the individuals who need to seen new laws before they change.
I wrote today about New York's move to copy London's congestion and emissions plans
http://www.gogirlfriend.com/travel-news/empty-cities-could-new-york-and-london-be-car-free-6250
which have worked so well, but I really think that New York might need a different approach - but still one that comes through the government.
Anyone hear the news that it will take $4 gas prices before drivers get discouraged?
Chi Feb 5th 2008 9:45AM
I think it's a really good idea to charge for bags. Most French grocery stores only charge 3-10 cents per bag, but even at this cheap price the majority of people still bring their own. Or else juggle their purchases on the way out the door. And even when people do buy them, they stuff them full in order to avoid buying another one.