Go Green Challenge - Day 3
17 August, 2007 by halfpintpixie
Day 3 : Today we challenge you to get yourself some reusable bags for your shopping. No more plastic bags!
I have a substantial stash of reuseable bags, both cotton and durable plastic, something for every occasion!
About 5 years ago, the Irish government introduced a plastic bag tax of 15c per bag. This led to a 90% drop in plastic bag usage, although according to Friends of the Earth, the usage figures are creeping back up again. The levy has been increased to 22c recently to stem this increase, or to make more money, depending on which way you look at it 
Most food retailers here sell sturdy reuseable plastic bags as well as the classic flimsy ones. Little bags for meat and loose veg are still free. Clothing retailers use paper bags, which means that many people go into town with an emergency plasic bag in their pocket or handbag to avoid the “melting paper bag in a rainstorm” scenario. Most places sell branded cotton bags for anything from a few cents to a couple of euro, depending on the brand!
A lot of shops don’t stock plastic bags at all, thereby saving on the need to keep tabs on how much was spent on them and passing these figures (and the money) on to the Revenue.
All in all, while I’m not usually in favour of the Government butting in, the plastic bag levy seems to have turned even the most hardened anti-environmentalist into someone who brings their own bags to the supermarket, even if it’s just to avoid paying for new ones!
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I love this. Especially living in the United States, the land of plenty, where plastic bags get caught in trees and make for a horrific display of carelessness. I would love to see a plastic bag tax here. All we get is 5 cents (per bag) off if we bring our own bag. It’s a start but more is needed.
very true Leila. taking 5c off your bill won’t encourage people, it’s having to fork out extra that gets them!
You commented on another post about being a vegan mom, and I notice you have a cute little picture beside your name, are you on wordpress too?
I’ve just noticed that Musings of a Crunchy Domestic Goddess are running a little contest to win a cool reuseable bag, go on, you know you want one…
When I first visited Europe (Germany) and wandered into the neighborhood grocery store, I had no idea I was required to purchase a bag or bring my own!! So I bought a cloth bag there and used it during the whole trip. I bought a bigger one at a department store. I still use both of those bags for a lot of things, they are still going after 6 years! I should just sew my own grocery bags…
I am on wordpress. Oh. and I said 5 cents off the bill, it’s actually only 3 cents. I’m enjoying your go green challenge.
[...] rained in June. But now thanks to climate change I can dry my eco-green-reusable-save-the-planet-cloth-bags in the sweltering sun. Don’t worry, the ironical-ness of the situation is not lost on [...]