Thursday, September 11, 2008
Yeah, I do want paper or plastic
A short article in Newsweek's Periscope (not online) reports that while some cities have banned the ever-present plastic grocery bags, Seattle (a city proud of its green cred) decided to tax them -- and got a huge uproar. Some object the tax isn't as good as a ban. Some object they already recycle the bags and use them for other things -- lunch bags, pet waste -- in the meantime. Some complain that the repeat-use bags made out of polypropylene aren't recyclable (though fewer of them get used) and the ones made out of canvas use enough resources in their making that they need to be used 500 times before they break even (Seattle disputes that number). And a few complain the tax hits the lower income people the most. Even so a "harm tax" might be the future of policy.
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The City does provide one canvas bag per household and I imagine other outlets are providing them for the poor. A couple of local food stores provide them for free to poor people. Still, there is an uproar here about it and there is a group gathering signatures to repeal the measure.
ReplyDeletePart of the issue isn't the concept, but rather the broader political environment. Seattle residents have a lot of big transportation projects on the horizon. They are really beginning to feel the burden of taxation for a variety of services and their property taxes are high. Residents don't generally mind paying for these things, but even though we're more insulated from the economic downturn, we still feel it. Plus, many residents already use some form of canvas bag.
With all of the issues facing the city, this one seems pretty far down the list of priorities according to many residents. It also seems like City Hall is becoming nagging and petty.
That's not my perspective. The tax doesn't affect me because I carry bags in the back of my car and have for a couple of years, now. But these are the complaints I hear at my store.