

Why 5 cent charges for plastic bags work - nkurz
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/11/13/the-surprising-reason-why-those-5-cent-charges-for-plastic-bags-actually-work/

======
gxs
Perhaps I've grown too cynical in my old age, but I always figured this was
just the grocery lobbies' doing.

We could outright ban the bags (which we have for plastic, not paper).
Instead, they literally nickel and dime you every time you shop.

Sure 10 cents a bag isn't a big deal, but 3-4 across millions of customers per
year, and now you're talking serious cash.

~~~
FreakyT
In the article, they note that a study found that the small plastic bag
charges tended to strongly influence behavior without an outright ban.

Personally, I see it as a win/win. The grocery stores get more money from
people obsessed with plastic bags, and the municipality reduces the number of
plastic bags wasted.

~~~
scotty79
It strongly affects behavior but also perception of shopping, making it even
more miserable.

~~~
threeseed
In your opinion. We have had a similar policy here in Australia for many years
and it has had no impact to consumer confidence or shopping behaviour.

People who find the concept to be miserable should rethink their attitude.

~~~
waterlesscloud
Or perhaps they should remain free to have whatever response they have rather
than the one you feel they 'should' have.

------
vinhboy
I like the plastic bag ban because cashiers and other shoppers don't look at
me weird for NOT wanting a bag. Multiple times before the bag ban in my town,
I would ask for no bags, because the item I bought is already tightly
packaged. I would get the weirdest look from people... Maybe it was all in my
head, but whatever, it works.

~~~
nickmchardy
I get the same thing where I live. I use a plastic crate which not only means
things don't fall over in the car boot, but it's also very quick to pack at
the checkout.

------
eli
When the bag tax was added in DC, cashiers stopped bagging items by default.
I'd bet that a $0.01 tax would work nearly as well; I don't think it's about
the money.

To their credit, the city also apparently did a very good job of educating
business owners and enforcing the tax. Compliance seems very high.

------
err4nt
They passed a bylaw here about ten years ago adding a 5¢ fee per bag 'for the
environment' with the idea that the penance of paying for your bags was
outweighed by the blessing your of donation, which was going counterbalance
your minor environmental transgression and balance your eco-karma again.

I don't mind paying for bags if I know the 5¢ is actually going to make an
impact on the world I live in, but I fear that over the years every bag I've
ever paid for has done nothing but pad the profits of a company already
dedicated to destroying the environment I live in and instead offsets the
'eco-karma' cost to me.

~~~
pizza234
It's not about eco-karma or mamacorps, and it's not actually a fee/tax.

It simply prevents the fact that if you give something for free, people will
waste it - it's a consumerist instinct.

I've lived through both conditions and I found horrifying how people would
take large amounts of bags, at stores, and napkins, at restaurants, just
because they were free. Set a minimal fee, and clients will start to take just
what they need, and no more (which paradoxically, is the opposite instict -
not to waste money).

------
ThompJackie
I was wondering if they can apply the same concept to recyclable materials?
Charge around 50 cents for each bottle extra, but then get refunded 50 cents
when you recycle the bottle so it causes the customer to recycle more and if
not, someone else will pick up the bottle themselves

~~~
msherry
Most states in the USA do exactly this already.

~~~
lbearl
From the sound of it, Michigan does it very well with their 10 cent deposit,
and allowing most people to claim their deposit back right at the grocery
store. California (with 5 cent CRV) is miserable with the places where we are
supposed to claim our deposits being overrun with homeless and the places
themselves not being all that great (I'm speaking from my experience in Orange
County, YMMV).

------
chrismcb
What does the headline mean? What does "work" mean? More money for the store?
An increased in illness as people use dirty bags? It would have been nice to
indicate what this means at the beginning of the article.

------
jpollock
Of course, all that's really happened is I've replaced the free plastic bags
from the grocery store with non-free garbage bags from the same store. I still
use the same amount of plastic.

~~~
buckbova
Get it from amazon for 2 cents a bag and tell the bagger you'll use your own
bags.

[http://www.amazon.com/T-Shirt-Carryout-Bags--Thank-
Gracias/d...](http://www.amazon.com/T-Shirt-Carryout-Bags--Thank-
Gracias/dp/B0025W9ALG)

