An ordinance necessary for environmental and social sustainability was recently voted down by the people of Seattle. If passed, there would have been a 20-cent fee assessed for every paper and plastic bag issued at checkout in supermarkets and stores. Originally, the ordinance was passed by city leaders and to be put into effect in January, but the plastics lobby and their nearly infinite resources pushed to have the issue voted on in the recent election. They then mislead the public with scare tactics and smear campaigns based on faulty logic which ultimately led to the demise of this ordinance. While studying abroad in Denmark and Sweden, two countries that successfully charge fees on bags, I witnessed first hand the benefits of this proposed ordinance, and I wanted to clear up some misconceptions that the plastics lobby would like you to believe.
Adam Parmer, spokesperson for the Coalition to Stop the Bag Tax, stated that this ordinance was unnecessary and the wrong approach to changing consumer behavior. Not only do I completely disagree due to personal experience, but simple logic would argue otherwise. While in Denmark I knew multiple people, including myself, who each forgot to bring their own bags at least once and were forced to pay roughly the equivalent of $0.50 USD per bag just to get their groceries home. From that moment on, none of them ever forgot their bags again. Charging for bags without a doubt changes consumer behavior quickly and effectively. Not once can I recall a local resident purchasing bags because they forgot theirs – that was always left for the rookie American shopper. Yet I can safely say that those American shoppers remembered their reusable bags from then on.
The final, and what I consider the most obvious reason as to why this ordinance needs to be passed, is the simple logic behind it. Everyone – even the opposition – agrees that consumer behavior regarding plastic bags needs to change for the sake of having a sustainable lifestyle and clean environment. Considering we live in a capitalist society, what better incentive to change consumer behavior then financial incentive? I do not agree with the argument that this bill would be expensive to the consumer who is already suffering financially – no, it would only cost consumers money when they forget their bags, and from my personal experience I could not see that happening very often. How many people would really forget their bags enough times to strain their wallets significantly? The goal of the ordinance was to discourage the excessive use of plastic bags and to encourage either the reuse of stronger plastic bags or to switch to reusable cloth bags – not for Big Brother profit from consumers who continue to overuse plastic bags.Denmark reduced their consumption of plastic bags by 66% in 2005 once their fee was put in place, and there is reason to believe that trend would continue in America. Reducing plastic bag consumption would help alleviate our alarming rate of pollution and waste. This ordinance, if expanded nationally, could also spur technological innovation in search of new and affordable environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastic bags as well. This ordinance is the capitalist way to properly alter consumer behavior for the better. Do not fall victim to the plastics lobby. We need to draft up a national version of this ordinance and get it put into law immediately.
