Imposing a tax on plastic bags is one of the many approaches applied by governments throughout the world to decrease their application. A lot of countries around the world have actually taken the measure to completely ban the utilization of plastic bags. However those that could not, resorted to this course of action and made it mandatory for all the store and business owners to charge a fee on plastic bags.
A price of twenty cents for every throwaway plastic or paper bag may seem like not much, but multiply it with the number of times you go to the grocery store in one year and the number of bags you will need to purchase every time. The amount might run over a hundred dollars. Rather than having to pay that much money on plastic bags shops could offer reusable bags produced from recycled and organic materials. Durable recyclable bags don't only last longer than plastic bags, but are more fashionable and much less damaging to our world too. Although the decision to charge a fee on plastic bags may not entirely remove them from the environment, the government hopes to at least bring down the degree of waste material.
Aspen City Council approves the fee on plastic bags, hopes to reduce plastic waste
As documented in a Aspen Daily News story, the Aspen City Council had recently handed down the "Waste Reduction Fee Ordinance", which implements the 20-cent fee on non reusable plastic or paper bags handed out in the city. Four out of the five members of the city council had approved the ordinance, that would be finalized in September. Matching ordinances have also been considered by the Basalt and Carbondale town councils in an attempt to encourage citizens to bring their own cloth or jute bags for food shopping. The earlier efforts of the authorities to educate the citizens to decrease usage of plastic bags haven't been productive leading them to resort to this method.
Current plastic bag use
If the median plastic bag consumption is taken into account, a person in the US would probably end up expending roughly $80 for plastic grocery bags on a yearly basis. By making customers pay a specific amount any time they request plastic or paper grocery or shopping bags, the councils hope to boost the usage of bags that may be reused a lot of times. This fee will be imposed on each and every bag that is given to the shoppers in local grocery stores however, not in retail stores or dining places. The sales generated with this fee will most probably be used to inform individuals about the perils of utilizing non-reusable bags as well as implementing programs to lower contaminated waste material in the community.
On top of that, money may just be invested in getting recyclable shopping bags into the city and disbursing them among neighborhoods for a cost. The ordinance also allows grocers to retain five percent of the charge, up to $100, and permits them to use it for implementing the program and handling the costs. The local authorities will also be auditing the local grocers for compliance as well as for making a note of bag use reduction in public records. However, should this program fail, the council would be left with a huge amount of unallocated funds from the program and very little decline in plastic bag utilization.
A price of twenty cents for every throwaway plastic or paper bag may seem like not much, but multiply it with the number of times you go to the grocery store in one year and the number of bags you will need to purchase every time. The amount might run over a hundred dollars. Rather than having to pay that much money on plastic bags shops could offer reusable bags produced from recycled and organic materials. Durable recyclable bags don't only last longer than plastic bags, but are more fashionable and much less damaging to our world too. Although the decision to charge a fee on plastic bags may not entirely remove them from the environment, the government hopes to at least bring down the degree of waste material.
Aspen City Council approves the fee on plastic bags, hopes to reduce plastic waste
As documented in a Aspen Daily News story, the Aspen City Council had recently handed down the "Waste Reduction Fee Ordinance", which implements the 20-cent fee on non reusable plastic or paper bags handed out in the city. Four out of the five members of the city council had approved the ordinance, that would be finalized in September. Matching ordinances have also been considered by the Basalt and Carbondale town councils in an attempt to encourage citizens to bring their own cloth or jute bags for food shopping. The earlier efforts of the authorities to educate the citizens to decrease usage of plastic bags haven't been productive leading them to resort to this method.
Current plastic bag use
If the median plastic bag consumption is taken into account, a person in the US would probably end up expending roughly $80 for plastic grocery bags on a yearly basis. By making customers pay a specific amount any time they request plastic or paper grocery or shopping bags, the councils hope to boost the usage of bags that may be reused a lot of times. This fee will be imposed on each and every bag that is given to the shoppers in local grocery stores however, not in retail stores or dining places. The sales generated with this fee will most probably be used to inform individuals about the perils of utilizing non-reusable bags as well as implementing programs to lower contaminated waste material in the community.
On top of that, money may just be invested in getting recyclable shopping bags into the city and disbursing them among neighborhoods for a cost. The ordinance also allows grocers to retain five percent of the charge, up to $100, and permits them to use it for implementing the program and handling the costs. The local authorities will also be auditing the local grocers for compliance as well as for making a note of bag use reduction in public records. However, should this program fail, the council would be left with a huge amount of unallocated funds from the program and very little decline in plastic bag utilization.
About the Author:
Dean Prater is a highly accomplished author talking about environmental and sustainability dilemmas also educating on the ideal to businesses to make use of eco friendly custom grocery bags to advertise both their business and awareness for our environment.