Why Don't Governments Just Take The High Road

If plastic bags are an environmental problem why not just ban their manufacturer? Of course this would probably cost jobs and those displaced workers might be reluctant to vote for a party that cost them their jobs. We won't even get into the hypocrisy of governments and cigarettes/booze.

Greening up planet, one bag at a time
By Paul Berton

It's not surprising the plastics industry remains opposed to a tax on plastic shopping bags. Nor is it news voters groan or even scream at the hint of any government cash grab.

But the ongoing debate over Ireland's experiment with what's been dubbed the "plastax" is worth everyone's attention. In 2002, the Irish government began charging consumers 20 cents for each plastic shopping bag. Three months later, it announced stores had reduced the number of bags given out by 90% -- 277 million fewer bags.

Given the world produces as many as 5 trillion plastic shopping bags a year, think of the potential for a planet with 4 trillion fewer plastic bags. Never mind the litter, though Ireland once dubbed plastic bags "the national flag" and South Africa calls them "the national flower."

In Bangladesh, plastic bags that clogged drainage pipes have been blamed for several catastrophic floods. On the high seas, where some sailors call plastic bags the most commonly sighted litter, whales die from swallowing them. Some say they mistake the bags for squid.

No, a levy on plastic bags won't put any noticeable dent in the amount of garbage going to landfills, but reducing the number we produce won't hurt either. Meanwhile, taxing them doesn't mean we should switch to paper bags, which don't rely on petrochemicals for their manufacture. In fact, plastic bags may be better for the environment, notwithstanding the fact they create an eyesore for decades.

The point is plastic bags are perfectly reusable but are being tossed out by the trillions. We can talk about the first two "Rs" until we're blue in the face (and we do) but reducing and re-using material is not exactly in our nature. It has taken decades for Canadians to embrace recycling -- and we're not there yet.

Governments know full well money motivates consumers. That's why they tax, and why they should continue to tax, consumables such as gasoline, alcohol and tobacco. So what if the Irish plastax is a cash grab? They're using the money for environmental projects. Those who don't want to pay it surely know what to do instead.