Who Really Benefits From A Fee For Plastic Bag Usage?
Plastic bags are actually one of the most significant environmental problems today. They contribute to environmental destruction in many ways. Valuable natural resources are depleted for the manufacturing of plastic bags. The plastic bags are used one time for a short time and then thrown directly into the trash can. Plastic waste disposal is an issue that does not have a reliable solution. Truly being non-biodegradable, these plastic bags continue damaging land and oceans for many centuries. They cause the demise of a number of marine birds and animals, increase landfill waste and create trash. Numerous countries have made efforts to eliminate the utilization of plastic bags. A number of towns and cities in the United States are creating legal guidelines eliminating plastic bag usage.
Ordinance to Impose a Fee on Plastic Grocery Bags in Aspen
In accordance with a recent report in Post Independent, an regulation to charge supermarket consumers a fee of 20 cents for giving either plastic or paper bags was revealed in Aspen. With the initial reading, the ordinance acquired almost total support from the council members having a 4-1 vote. Still the majority of members continue to have a lot of unanswered questions and wish for additional information and facts. Just about all questions surround the twenty cent figure and the factors behind deciding upon this amount.
Questions Surrounding the Proposal
Council member Adam Filch happens to be a supporter of the green cause. He also passed out free [recycled bags] to voters while running for council seat in spring. However in the initial reading, he was the only individual to vote against the regulation. While the reasons for this haven’t been clarified, previously Filch indicated concern about the effectiveness of a 20 cent fee in decreasing the utilization of plastic bags. He additionally expressed a need to understand how the fee amount was reached and whether or not it represents the cost of gathering a thrown-away plastic bag.
Although some members are convinced that the charge is too small to discourage the use of plastic bags, others like Steve Skadron think that a twenty cent charge may very well be too high. As indicated by him, a ten cent or even a five cent fee should be considered. Apart from the individuals, the regulation will also have an effect on grocery stores. Charging a fee for a grocery bag might be a burden for the stores. As per the current proposal, 5% of the fee will go to the stores as a payment for the added costs. Although council member Derek Johnson states that this may be insufficient. 5 % of the charge would mean somewhere around $100 per month, which is extremely low as the grocery stores might need to spend money on electronic register reprogramming as well as employee training. They may also encounter productivity loss. According to Johnson, the issue should be talked over with the grocers.
Grocers could use [eco custom bags] to promote both their business along with the green cause. The primary goal of this move is to limit the usage of plastic bags. But in case the fee is unsuccessful in motivating people to give up plastic or paper bags in favor of [reusable bags], it will earn the city about $1 million in a year.
Author Resource :
Carrie Haley is an incredibly educated writer discussing green and sustainability topics also dispersing the knowledge to companies to use reusable bags and seed paper items to market both their business and awareness for our earth.
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