Another incentive towards reaching sustainability -- a plastic bag tax...er...fee. The Big Apple's Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, recently suggested the implementation of a 6 cent fee for every plastic bag issued at the register in order to encourage residents to adopt the more eco-friendly practice of reusable bags. As opposed to giving shoppers a credit per bag, which is something commonly used where I live, Mayor Bloomberg feels the fee will not only deter the use of these oil-produced, street littering sacks but potentially raise millions of dollars in the short term (until shoppers make the switch). Additionally, his willingness to give 1 cent of every 6 cents charged to store owners will hopefully increase compliance. This would be the first city in the U.S. to take this measure -- other areas such as Melbourne and Ireland have already seen a drastic reduction in plastic bag usage since they began charging per sack. Soon we may be calling the City the Big Green Apple![via Inhabitat]
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