Three Questions: “A World Without Plastic Bags”

Previously we discussed reusable shopping bags and other alternatives to plastic bags.  Some cities (and countries) are rallying to reduce plastic use by taxing or even banning plastic bags.  However, others have recently voted down similar proposals.

A World Without Plastic Bags

A few weeks ago, progressives in Seattle bowed their heads in disappointment as voters shot down an initiative to pose a 25-cent tax on plastic bags throughout the city. Environmentalist lawmakers in Philadelphia also managed to lose grip on a similar bill as it fell in late August.

Though the concept isn’t a new one. San Francisco proposed a similar measure in 2007 before it opted for a ban on the bags altogether; New York law requires grocery stores to sell reusable bags and provide recycling bins for plastic. All the same, the “bag tax” has sparked a remarkable amount of controversy in cities across the U.S.

Three Questions

1)  Do you believe that outright bans are an effective and desirable way to reduce plastic bag use?  Why or why not?

2)  Do you believe that per-bag taxes are an effective and desirable way to reduce plastic bag use, and if so, what is a fair rate?

3)  If you feel that there are serious problems with imposing a ban or tax on plastic bags, what could be done to solve those?  (Bear in mind that we haven’t always had plastic and it comes from a finite resource.)