[SustainableTompkins] Motivated by a Tax, Irish Spurn Plastic Bags

[Margaret McCasland]

In Ithaca, Greenstar gives 5¢ off if you bring 
your own bag, but a lot of people still chose 
paper or plastic.

Aldi's only offers reusable plastic bags for 
purchase (I forget the cost).  People who shop 
there tend to bring their own bag, or use the 
boxes the groceries came in, which the store puts 
out for that purpose. It's easy enough to recycle 
the boxes once we get home. I seem to remember 
that practice in US grocery stores half a century 
ago--before we had plastic bags.

The major grocery stores in Australia--which have 
been pushing reusable bags for years--had a big 
ad campaign reminding people to keep their bags 
in their "boot"  (trunk).  I found I need to have 
them in the front seat in order to remember to 
bring them into stores with me.

Having functional, inexpensive reusable bags 
available seems to be only half of what's needed, 
from what I know of Australia and what the 
article on Ireland implies. It may well take a 
tax before we start consistently bringing our own 
bags.



>Not sure if this news already made the list.  Could there be a local  tax? 
>Would it make sense here?
>
>Motivated by a Tax, Irish Spurn Plastic Bags
>By ELISABETH  ROSENTHAL
>The Irish have embraced the use of cloth bags to carry
>their  groceries, encouraged by a 33-cent tax on each
>plastic bag grabbed at the  register.
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/02/world/europe/02bags.html?th&emc=th
>
>
>Eric Clay,  M.Div., Ph.D.
>Community Coach
>Shared Journeys, Inc.
>832 North Aurora  Street
>Ithaca, NY 14850
>607-592-6874_  wericclay at aol.com_ (mailto:wericclay at aol.com)
>
>Shared Journeys:  Make a World  of Difference
>
>
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