Plenty of cities -- and entire countries -- are moving toward charging for plastic bags.
Now, the District of Columbia is considering charging for both. The proposal, if adopted, would give the District one of the country's toughest bag laws, according to a news story in today's Washington Post. The fee would be five cents per bag.
Post reporter Nikita Stewart writes that, under the proposal, the income would be split between businesses and the city, which would use its share to offer free reusable bags to elderly and low-income residents.
It would also be used to help clean the Anacostia River. A recent study found that plastic bags were "the single largest component of trash" in the eight-mile river and its tributaries.
But businesses didn't want to target plastic solely because of the economics of bag-dom. Plastic costs about two cents a bag; paper, five cents.
Both the paper and the plastics industries are expected to fight the measure.
While I understand the motivation to do this, there's going to be a whole HEAP of unintended consequences with this.— Tartan69
Comment removed.- yEAH!— Dana Kerrigan
- Those plastic bags are now so thin and flimsy that it takes two bags (or a paper bag inside a plastic bag) to be sturdy enough to carry anything. Bringing your own bags or using canvas bags is more economical in the long run. The now sell canvas bags in the dollar store. You probably won't find them any cheaper than that.— dee99999
- From this blog i can understand your motivation clearly paper bags are eco-friendly even plastic bag are the major component of trash.And from the point of view we can use cloths bag are too. -------- neetu -------- Find the latest news about Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. Discuss Mood Disorders topics with members of the Health Community. Manic Depression News and Discussion Forum-Manic Depression News and Discussion Forum— neetugarg37
GreenSpace - her column about how to reduce your carbon footprint in everyday life - appears every other Monday in Health & Science.
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