NFT: NYC Plastic Bag Tax

for a couple years now. 10 cents for paper, and 75 cents for plastic. It's a pain in the ass at first, but you get used to it.

because I use them as garbage bags. And it still might be cheaper to go that route at 5 cents a bag.

Dave... Lucky you didn't end up in Rahway bruh... LOL

We've had the bag tax (10 cents) for about 2 years now. We have gotten completely used to using our own reusable bags (widely available at the grocery stores themselves, Whole Foods, Target, etc). It's second nature now.

A main reason this tax was introduced here was to prevent accumulation of litter along the roadways as the bags end up strewn on the shoulder of the roads, in the shrubbery or up in trees, and represented hazards to much of the local wildlife. I can see a noticeable difference in a positive way in this short time. Seems to make sense.

All they (anyone, really) need to do is buy a reusable bag, the pay back period is pretty short..

It's not that onerous. Cuts down on waste.

DC

to pay for low income people's grocery bags.

instead of brick and mortar stores.

In comment 12947186 fivehead said:

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to pay for low income people's grocery bags.

Its purpose is for reducing waste. I don't think the wealthy are to worried about a 5 cent tax on bags.

In comment 12947188 Steve in South Jersey said:

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instead of brick and mortar stores.

How many people are going online to shop for groceries? Those items will still come in bags, no?

In comment 12947195 David in LA said:

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In comment 12947188 Steve in South Jersey said: Quote: instead of brick and mortar stores. How many people are going online to shop for groceries? Those items will still come in bags, no?

Fresh direct comes in boxes

One of the reasons I stopped using them is having to deal with massive amounts of cardboard

don't want to pay it, bring your own bag. I've been bringing 3 large cloth bags every weeks for years when grocery shopping. It's not even about the money, no one needs 17 plastic bags for $80 worth of groceries.

I'm not a climate freak by any means but our waste is astronomical. When I watch people put 2 items in 1 giant plastic bag all I can do is shake my head.

In comment 12947225 UConn4523 said:

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don't want to pay it, bring your own bag. I've been bringing 3 large cloth bags every weeks for years when grocery shopping. It's not even about the money, no one needs 17 plastic bags for $80 worth of groceries. I'm not a climate freak by any means but our waste is astronomical. When I watch people put 2 items in 1 giant plastic bag all I can do is shake my head.

Well then they're fucking idiots. $80 of groceries should make it into 5-7 bags.

But, this can't even be taxed, so it just goes to the stores as revenue.

but the stores down here insist on bagging for you and they still insist on putting the meat packages in plastic bags and then putting it in the reusable bag. I normally don't mind because I do use the plastic bags when I clean out the cat boxes (but I probably have a 3 year supply right now). But it's frustrating to buy 15 things, bring my reusable bags and still wind up with plastic bags.

In comment 12947243 buford said:

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but the stores down here insist on bagging for you and they still insist on putting the meat packages in plastic bags and then putting it in the reusable bag. I normally don't mind because I do use the plastic bags when I clean out the cat boxes (but I probably have a 3 year supply right now). But it's frustrating to buy 15 things, bring my reusable bags and still wind up with plastic bags.

Yeah I insist on bagging myself and the times I can't I make sure no plastic is used unless it's 1 bag for all meats. That's really the only exception.

and a Nanny State. Politicians have used taxes as a tool to increase control and put more money into their re-election campaigns. I'm skeptical that there's a lot of social value in this move...

... everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."

In comment 12947247 BamaBlue said:

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and a Nanny State. Politicians have used taxes as a tool to increase control and put more money into their re-election campaigns. I'm skeptical that there's a lot of social value in this move...

If you ever go overseas to other countries you would see how absurd our country of convenience actually is.

because most people want to bitch about pollution while not doing the simplest things to combat it voluntarily

In comment 12947261 fkap said:

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because most people want to bitch about pollution while not doing the simplest things to combat it voluntarily

100% correct

and can't really carry canvas bags around with you. But I got used to it when I lived in CA. Probably not a bad idea.

I just can't stand all the rules being imposed on us. In my almost two decades as an adult, this country has definitely become more moralistic and regulatory.

As mentioned earlier we have it and most of us have been conditioned to bring reusable cloth bags when we go shopping. Our major grocery store Giant has introduced a wand and self check out. So two things have resulted from the tax. One fewer check out clerks and the need to buy plastic garbage bags for you house. It has cut down on the waste of used plastic shopping bags but I read an article that the county is not seeing any substantial revenue from this tax.
So I am not sure it has accomplished what the county council wanted but we do drive around with quite a few cloth bags in our trunks.

here where I live. You can still get thicker bags which are considered reusable, which you get charged for. Its really no big deal. You get a few good big bags for groceries and get paper bags occasionally and deal with it. The amount of plastic that people go through for one-time use is absolutely insane.

"A 2011 study from scientists at the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University found only 3% of shoppers with multi-use bags said they regularly washed them. The same study found bacteria in 99% of bags tested; half carried coliform bacteria while 8% carried E. coli, an indicator of fecal contamination.

"I classify them as pretty dirty things, like the bottom of your shoes," said Ryan Sinclair of the Loma Linda University School of Public Health, a co-author of the study."
Link - ( New Window )

I have lived in Europe (Germany) for 6 years and Asia (South Korea) for one. I've been to many other countries (yeah Army) in numerous travels. I don't get your point... If you're saying we should be more like them (other countries), we have vastly different experiences in our world travels. You can pay tribute for your plastic bags, or feel better than me for caring. I'll make my own choices about what's socially conscious.

In comment 12947249 gimmeshelter said:

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... everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother."

well played

Personally, I think this is absurd.

In comment 12947247 BamaBlue said:

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and a Nanny State. Politicians have used taxes as a tool to increase control and put more money into their re-election campaigns. I'm skeptical that there's a lot of social value in this move...

Plastic bags that end in the water do a lot of damage. We have a place in Cambridge MA and they charge $.10 per bag there. We always use our own except for take out. It's not a big deal and worth it to get rid of plastic bags.

For home garbage.

I wish it just outright outlawed the plastic bags, and they'd do the same with plastic bottles as well. The vast numbers you see strewn along the coastlines of NYC are depressing, and the environmental damage is obvious. Adding a tax will just get someone fat and happy, with some change as a by-product. If they just outlawed them outright, hopefully you'd see a meaningful reduction in the number of bags floating around in a short period of time.

We use them as garbage bags and then they sit inert in landfill harmless forever. A bunch of bags use less resources to make/transport than reusable bag minus cleaning water & soap needed. I just don't get it, it always seems what they want us to do for the environment doesn't really help or has minimal impact.

The store keeps the money. I would also support a ban near coastal areas.

And it's a good thing. Plastic bags are out of control in this country. Stores double bag a bottle of water. Use a reusable bag. It's not that hard. Have a lot of groceries? Use 5 reusable bags. It's not that hard.

In comment 12947316 BamaBlue said:

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I have lived in Europe (Germany) for 6 years and Asia (South Korea) for one. I've been to many other countries (yeah Army) in numerous travels. I don't get your point... If you're saying we should be more like them (other countries), we have vastly different experiences in our world travels. You can pay tribute for your plastic bags, or feel better than me for caring. I'll make my own choices about what's socially conscious.

BB, you did not notice a difference between Germany and Asia with regards to daily trash?

for recycling. So, not only do I need to buy reusable bags, but also recycling bags.

In comment 12947443 Matt M. said:

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for recycling. So, not only do I need to buy reusable bags, but also recycling bags.

If you're using paper bags for recycling, that's cool. If you're using plastic, that's bad. Plastic bags are a no-no for curbside recycling. They foul up the sorting machines they use and contaminate other recyclables.

Most grocery stores have a bin to recycle *just* plastic bags. That's the only place they're OK.

In comment 12947449 Jim in Fairfax said:

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In comment 12947443 Matt M. said: Quote: for recycling. So, not only do I need to buy reusable bags, but also recycling bags. If you're using paper bags for recycling, that's cool. If you're using plastic, that's bad. Plastic bags are a no-no for curbside recycling. They foul up the sorting machines they use and contaminate other recyclables. Most grocery stores have a bin to recycle *just* plastic bags. That's the only place they're OK.

Every week we get 4 or 5 paper bags worth of groceries from Trader Joe's. We use those to recycle. At that, when we dump the glass/metal/plastics, we dump the bag into the larger recycling bin and then place the now empty bag into the cardboard recycling bin.

But only because 5 cents doesn't come close to incentivizing someone to bring their own bags. Does nothing good for anyone except the government.

In comment 12947506 Mike in Long Beach said:

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But only because 5 cents doesn't come close to incentivizing someone to bring their own bags. Does nothing good for anyone except the government.

The government doesn't get the money.

and does nothing to incentivize for those who can afford it. Truth is another 25c on my bill is not going to change my habits at all.

...you get used to it very quickly. And the real incentive isn't to save money. It's avoid in the scorn of other shoppers. The idiot who doesn't bring a reusable bag slows down the line, because the whole checkout process becomes geared for shoppers to bag their own stuff in bags they already have. Plus, he gets abused for not caring about the earth. I know, because I was that guy a few times before I got with the program.

where they're separating food refuse from other garbage. Special garbage can, no bags. The waste gets composted and the city will use it in the public parks and elsewhere.

The initiative will go a long way to both helping the environment and cutting the city's refuse costs. But wouldn't you know it - people hate it. Why? It's different, it's a pain in the ass, and we never had to do this before.

Nothing but good can come from it, but people will bitch about it incessantly, try to throw around political bullshit, and wax poetically about the good old days. It's no different with the plastic bags.

Eventually, we'll be able to get to a point where we'll be more conscious about what we waste, and we'll maximize recycling/re-use. Sure, because it's a government program there will be waste/bureaucracy/graft, but overall it'll be better for the planet and we'll all be better off for it.

Big difference from Asia to Germany. I lived in a very small village in NW Korea. The sidewalk was concrete slabs that covered an open sewage system. There were no (zero) flush toilets. None of the homes in the village were more than one story and none had running water inside the house. The Germans were more refined, but more into image than practicality. When we operated in rural areas, we had to pay for ANY damage. Even skinning a tree cost us money (easy to do with tracked vehicles). God forbid we killed a chicken... the cost in the late '80's for one chicken was about $300. Every one of our vehicles had to have drip pans and chock blocks. Any fuel or lubricant spill required an incident report (and a big fine). Needless had to conduct refueling operations. Our level of environmental consciousness was extremely high. Now at the same time we had a huge problem with many of the city dwelling Germans. It was common for them to follow US convoys and drop garbage and household chemicals in the areas where we were operating. In addition to force protection, or guards were always on the lookout for the 'dump-and-run' Germans. But yeah... you can feel good about paying for plastic bags.

In comment 12947353 spike said:

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For home garbage.

Same. I use plastic bags for the incinerator.

Pit/Boxer mix. I use plastic bags to pick-up crap. Is this any worse than the plastic bags they sell at Petsmart? Grocery bag snobbery... I'm better than you, because I care. I don't have to really do anything, but dammit I care.

In comment 12947674 BamaBlue said:

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Pit/Boxer mix. I use plastic bags to pick-up crap. Is this any worse than the plastic bags they sell at Petsmart? Grocery bag snobbery... I'm better than you, because I care. I don't have to really do anything, but dammit I care.

Huh? How is cutting down on plastic bags being snobby? Using your own bags for the store to cut down on plastic and using the smaller doggie bags for your pet (the whole purpose of them is that they are small and more efficient and less wasteful) seems incredibly logical.

People are lazy, its really what is comes down to. Laws limiting soda size are ridiculous; trying to cut down on waste with less plastic isn't.

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Based on my experience in Germany... Big Blue Blogger : 7:31 am : link : reply ...you get used to it very quickly. And the real incentive isn't to save money. It's avoid in the scorn of other shoppers. The idiot who doesn't bring a reusable bag slows down the line, because the whole checkout process becomes geared for shoppers to bag their own stuff in bags they already have. Plus, he gets abused for not caring about the earth. I know, because I was that guy a few times before I got with the program.

Every store in Germany (and most of Europe) has you use your own bags for small items, or you pay for the bags. When I go to the grocery store there, I grab the plastic bag at the checkout line for 10 euro cents and then bag the items as they are getting rung up. It is a fine oiled machine, even though I'm usually the only person without their own bag.

In comment 12947674 BamaBlue said:

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Pit/Boxer mix. I use plastic bags to pick-up crap. Is this any worse than the plastic bags they sell at Petsmart? Grocery bag snobbery... I'm better than you, because I care. I don't have to really do anything, but dammit I care.

More like 'I don't give a shit, so why should you?'.

I'm glad you pick up your dogshit with your plastic bags, that's a productive use for them. Plenty of people use them for garbage bags as well.

And the rest? End up floating around sewer systems, rivers, landfills - for no good god damn reason.

Do I think I'm better because I don't take a plastic bag when I buy a half gallon of milk from the grocery store? I never thought of it that way, and I didn't ever look down on the people who took the bag. But apparently some of those people have a complex.

cutting down on plastic bags isn't snobby. I was trying to point out the hypocrisy of social engineering. Instead of solving real problems, things like poking people about their use of plastic bags and paying a 'guilt tax' become fund raising opportunities for re-election campaigns. Guilt taxes on salt, soda, e-cigs, plastic bags, etc. Symbolism over substance.

collects the rest for recycling. All bottles and cans are recycled because NJ mandates recycling. That's not to say compliance is anywhere near 100%. Taxing seems to be penalizing the responsible for the irresponsibility of others.

One thing I think SHOULD happen is for grocery stores to train their staffs. There seems to be a mentality that they should use the maximum bags possible, like it's sort of perk for the customers. Even when I say "all in 1 bag please" they still find a way to use mores, like wrapping a fully wrapped package of chicken in another bag and then putting it into my single bag.