10cents Plastic bag tax

@lilaclady (28207)
Australia
July 1, 2008 2:18am CST
Well our Government is going to impose a 10 cents levy or tax on plastic bags at supermarkets, well I am sorry they have gone this way instead of insisting on the supermarkets use bio-degradable bags... this means in the future we will have to buy plastic garbage bags for the bins as I am sure the garbage men would hate it if we just tipped the garbage in the bin without being wrapped up...well I will be refusing to buy plastic garbage bags in the future...
8 people like this
24 responses
@raclie (1732)
• Singapore
1 Jul 08
well... maybe they will allow us to have a choice of buying a reuseable bag of having one that we have to pay but is still expensive... because if they give out the reusable ones free people will start insisting that they want more.
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
1 Jul 08
Hi raclie, it makes me angry because a few years ago when people were complaining about the high costs at supermarket they claimed they had to build in the price of plastic bags which means we are already paying for them in a way so maybe they should have gone the other way and give the customer a discount for using their own bags or spend that money on bi-degradable bags...so we will be paying twice really and if we start using our own bags then we will have to buy plastic rubbish bags as most people do use their bags for their rubbish bags...I see it as just an extra tax..
2 people like this
@raclie (1732)
• Singapore
1 Jul 08
well... i guess your right... or maybe they just want to reduce the amount of plastic usuage...
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Jul 08
There were some places years ago that tried giving people a discount for bringing their own bags, but that only worked for a while. If you've ever lived near a beach and seen how many fish and birds can be killed by the plastic bags, you would probably be using canvas bags that you can use over and over again. It's sad what the plastic ones do to the environment.
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
8 Jul 08
Plastic garbage bags are cheap as chips and bio-degradeable. Bio-degradable bags for shopping bags are not strong enough, to make them stronger , the price goes up and the level of bio-degradability drops. If you don't want to buy bags why not find alternatives. I use containers like tins and cereal boxes, bread wrappers, bags my veges come in. It seems silly to throw these containers away into another bag when they are able to be used to contain our rubbish quite well. While ever the supermarket provides plastic bags, the cost of them will be passed on to all of us who shop at the supermarket (the bags we use cost about 2 cents each...which adds up to a whole lot of money over a year when you think of how many bags are used). I use green bags and so do lots of others. I think we are entitled to a rebate for every time we use one of our own bags!
1 person likes this
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
8 Jul 08
its the principle of the thing, years ago prices being a little high was because of the inbuilt cost of plastic bags so I say why not give the customer who brings their own bags a discount rather than the other way around seeing as we are already paying for the bags, why is that business always wins....
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
16 Jul 08
They always win because they have all the power. When I was a checkout chick at Coles in QLD we had brown paper bags which could be re-used. When the brown bags were used, I scanned them and it took 2 cents off her bill. It's not a lot I know, but like you say, it's the principle.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
1 Jul 08
Hello dear lilaclady. Since the first of June, we also have to pay for the plastic bags in the supermarket, but we are also offered some cloth bags for free if we have a discount card of the supermarket. I got one before June. So this way of using some other bags instead of the plastic ones is understandable to me as the government is trying to reduce the production of the plastic bags and they have set a restriction of the specifications of the production of the plastic bags. But later when we have to use plastic bags for garbage, we will have to pay some cents for it so that it is easier for the rubbish cleaners.
1 person likes this
@jolly223 (73)
• United States
1 Jul 08
Wow! I haven't heard this. This is unbelievable that the government can just impose a tax on something that is already taxed! What in the world is this country coming to?
1 person likes this
• India
1 Jul 08
Is this is gonna happen. then Imagine how much the Government's Going to earn for every plastic bag we use. 10 cents for each plastic bag. We usually take around 10 plastic bags daily that means we make a dollar tax to pay. Imagine a ten million people use 10 plastic bags daily, then it will be around 10 million dollars daily. Wow, lot of money to be paid as Tax for the Government.
1 person likes this
1 Jul 08
Hello lilaclady, We have Wheelie bins here and we normally buy large black plastic bags and tie them up when putting it in the bins so thats not too bad, the rubbish don't fall out all over the path, but some people don't bother to do that and what a mess. Love Tamarafirehaeat.
@sweetdesign (5142)
• United States
17 Jul 08
I mostly use our reusable bags for our groceries the baggers and checkers hate it at the stores but I don't care. The plastic bags I do get are used for poop bags for our dogs and for the small trash cans in the bathrooms. That stinks that they are added a new tax to your gocery bill. Here we are dealing with two new taxes on our utility bill (our water/sewer/electric is all on one bill). Last month it was a $50 one for the water part of the bill this month it is a $48 one for the electric part. It is totally unfair as the bills are high enough as it is and this boils down to greed. Everyone is using the energy crisis as an excuse to rob us.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
1 Jul 08
where are you at? i know here in canada the grocery stores charge for the plastic bags that they used to give away, so we take our own canvas bags to the grocery store when we shop.
1 person likes this
@fatragu (677)
• United States
1 Jul 08
Why don't they just have us use canvas bags for groceries? Get rid of the plastic flimsy ones and go to a sturdy canvas grocery bag. Aldi's already does something like this. At their stores you can put your groceries in as many cardboard boxes as you want but if you want a plastic bag then you are charged for it.
1 person likes this
@suehan1 (4344)
• Australia
1 Jul 08
well i certainly won't be paying ten cents for any plastic bags,as i know we allready pay for it.i will just be taking my own bags in future,and i agree the garbos won't be amused if we don't bag up our rubbish.cheers sue
1 person likes this
@ellie333 (21016)
1 Jul 08
Hi Lilaclady, I am sorry to hear that it has gone this way too as it will be the supermarket benefitting from the sales of the bags instead od the environment by them using bio degradable ones. Crazy and the governments say they want to help us all go green. I take my reusuable hessian ones to the supermarket anyway so they will not be getting a cent out of for for their bags. Ellie :D
1 person likes this
@iskayz (5420)
• Philippines
1 Jul 08
Hi lilac! Well thats bad. It would cause additional expenses for the consumers. Here in our country supermarkets itself are slowly trying to eliminate the use of plastic bags. Owners and managements of these supermarkets are now using bags made of cloth. I'm not sure what kind but it is made of strong material which can be used many many times. Its also washable. Maybe your government should have opted the use of paper bags rather than imposing taxes on plastic bags.
1 person likes this
• India
1 Jul 08
I feel pitty that government is imposing such things rather I feel to see for alternate way for plastic things harm rather try to concentrate on recycling
1 person likes this
• United States
1 Jul 08
do you live in the US? I must admit- plastic bags are more convenient. But we all need to suck it up and care more about planet earth. So I'm all for it. even if my groceries fall out of the bottom. It beats dooming our planet forever. Watch out for the eggs!
@Antianara (608)
• Australia
2 Jul 08
How green is the green bag? not very, judging from what I've heard. green bags are Made from non-woven polypropylene, the material used in the bags is a by-product of oil refining. Propylene gas is produced during the refining process, then funneled through a reactor, creating propylene powder. Stabilizers are mixed with the powder and it's then put into an extruder that produces propylene pellets. These can be turned into a number of items, such as food containers, or, if the pellets are melted, cast into fabric.
• United States
2 Jul 08
You some people, like myself, actually reuse plastic bags and recycle them by using them as trash bags.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
9 Jul 08
I buy garbage bags all the time here, they garbage men will not pick up the garbage if they are not in bags.
@moondancer (7433)
• United States
2 Jul 08
Does this also include the plastic bags they put our groceries in? I was wondering becuase some time back my daughter was in Wal_mart and was told they were cutting out having plastic bags and we would have to buy these cloth ones for our food to go in at $1. each. I told my daughter this was ridiculous. She said that's what she was told. I told her then I guess WalMart would nolonger get my business if that starts becuase I buy a lot of things and would never know how many bags to have when I go and I wasn't paying $1. plus tax for the small cloth bags. I would make my own if it came down to it and use the plastice bags I have accumilated until they run out. Later when I asked the garden dept about it when checking out they said they haven't heard anything about it. I told them my daughter was told this up front when checking out and they said the people up front don't now anything. I wonder if this had anything to do with the conversation my daughter had with them, if that's why they considered this as an option to paying a tax? I don't know but I think it's rediculous.
@Tetchie (2932)
• Australia
2 Jul 08
I am in one of the areas that will be trialed first and I'm not happy about it. All plastic bags should be biodegradable and this should be mandatory. No reason this could not be made a by-law. I have not bought one of the green plastic bags and as you probably know they will never break down if they are discarded. I would rather pay $2 or $3 for a calico (cotton) bag custom made for the specific use of carrying groceries. Maybe I need to make some myself. Even the people who are in the know agree that biodegradable is the way to go, not a levee and not the green reusables. How do we let these things happen - do we not shout loud enough or what?
• United States
13 Jul 08
One of our local stores in the US already charges that much per bag. Or, you can take your groceries home in a box for free. They get the boxes for free from food manufacturers who ship the food to the store. Smart idea!