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Tax on Plastic Bags Works
Arthur Stamoulis
"Terrible" and "disgraceful" were the words irate
Irish citizens used to describe a 15-euro-cents tax that was placed
on the thin plastic bags given out by supermarkets in their country
last March. "I don't think it's right," one person said
at the time. "They are putting the price of food up without telling
us.
Since then, however, the number of plastic bags used at supermarkets
and convenience stores has dropped by 90 percent. The New York Times
reports that a billion fewer bags are expected in circulation throughout
Ireland this year, and that "the $3.4 million paid since March
is to be spent on environmental and waste management projects."
Plastic bags had been called Ireland's "national flag,"
as they were a common sight caught in trees and shrubs so many places
throughout the country. The desire to preserve the emerald landscape
litter-free for the tourist economy was one reason cited for the new
tax.
Thin plastic bags were out-and-out banned by the South African government,
after they were littered so frequently that they became known as the
country's "national flower."
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