Plastic Bag Tax

Well, in an effort to become more "environmentally friendly," it appears as though states across the country are implementing a "plastic bag tax" which will charge the customer an "X" amount for each plastic bag used at grocery stores.

http://reusablebags.typepad.com/newsroom/2007/05/should_we_pay_f.html

http://reusablebags.typepad.com/newsroom/2007/05/should_we_pay_f.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/weekinreview/01basics.html

A few links discussing the tax and some cities (i.e. San Francisco) actually banning the use of plastic bags altogether.

I only heard about this today and thought it was interesting. Thought I'd see what everyone else thought.

 

Encouraging recycling is a much better idea. I really don't want to have to go back to paper and thus double the trips I have to make up two flights of steps with groceries. Or have to go to canvas handbags and octuple the trips I have to make.

 

Let plastic people pay the plastic tax. I pay the Homer tax.

 

We can fit more in one canvas sack than one plastic sack.

We used to need eight plastic bags or so for a big trip to the supermarket. Now we use four or five canvas bags.

 

I have bought one of those grocery store re-usable bags for my groceries at the whopping price of 99 cents.

However, I constantly forget to take it with me in the morning before work and opt for the plastic bags on my daily trip to the store. At least I can take those back to be recycled, unlike the paper. (Which still make good small waste-baskets)

 

I can fit about double in the canvas bags I bought, plus the handles are long enough that I can sling them over my and thereforew wind up walking up the stairs fewer times when I remember them than when I forget and have to get plastic ones.

 

What stores provide such gargantuan permanent bags? The ones at the store I go to are not so big.

 

Albertsons and Kroger/Fred Meyers out here.

Target's are big too.

 

In my town they're coupling the plastic bag charge with a law banning the use of styrofoam takeout containers (medium-sized problem) and styrofoam trays for meat in the butcher's section (big problem). So now we'll all feel fuzzy and green, but die of e coli because of all the meat juice soaking through the packaging and going everywhere.

 

Trader Joe's. Best grocery store in the country.

 

I think you can get some good ones from Land's End.

I have the same problem of always forgetting to use mine. Doh.

 

I believe something like this was in place in Great Britain when I was growing up, say they'd charge 2 cents for every plastic bag you used. I remember we would use a large, I'd say 24x24 inch canvas bag we would have rolled up in the end of the trolley that would get unveiled as things started getting packed into it.

I would normally be the one charged with lugging it in from the car.