Paper or Plastic? Some Communities Say Neither

More than two dozen cities in California have implemented a tax on paper bags, and have eliminated plastic bags all together in order to encourage shoppers to carry around reusable bags and decrease the amount of paper and plastic waste. This fee ranges from 5 cents to 10 cents, although the legislators are pushing for a mandatory fee of 10 cents. (The higher the price, the less people will buy the bags) However, although this plan seems only beneficial, those behind the counter are actually getting insulted by the fee. They claim that it is insulting to their customers to pay for all their products, and then have to pay for a bag as well. One diamond retailer says “I won’t ask 10 cents for a bag when somebody spends $10,000. That’s petty”. But in order to prevent such outburst as this one, the government has implemented a fee of $500 dollars for those retailers who do not follow this rule. The whole premise behind this rule is to get people thinking about the wastefulness of single-use products, such as shopping bags. Although plastic companies have tried to fight this rule, saying that reusable bags end up in the same place as plastic bags given some time, their lawsuit was rejected. However, consumers are becoming frustrated because they believe that receiving a plastic bag is a right as a customer and should not be taken away from them. But on the other hand, some enjoy using reusable bags because they can personalize them and become the “next big thing” by carrying around bags with brand names on them. But in the end, a ban on bags will in fact help the environment by eliminating waste and encouraging more green activities. Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/29/business/energy-environment/communities-curb-use-of-paper-and-plastic-shopping-bags.html?pagewanted=2&_r=0&ref=earth