The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines has proclaimed every Wednesday as “Reusable Bag Day”. The move is meant to encourage the public to return to basics, to move away from their wasteful habits and help prevent environmental problems.
The announcement comes on the heels of a government-signed agreement with the Earthday Network Philippines and 12 supermarket chains to help reduce the use of plastic bags in the country. As part of Reusable Bag Day, no free plastic bags will be given to customers. Also expressing an interest in joining the government’s efforts are plastics manufacturers in that country.
So, why does it seem like all the ban proposals in the United States are getting shot down? Actually, that’s not the case at all. Despite the recent defeat of a statewide ban in California, there has been a recent explosion of local ordinances banning or taxing plastic shopping bags. Some examples:
- Bans take effect in January in Brownsville, Texas, and Hawaii’s Kauai and Maui counties. In February, American Samoa’s ban goes into effect.
- Washington, D.C., passed the first-of-its-kind law in the United States to charge shoppers for disposable plastic and paper bags as a way to cut back on trash and clean up the Anacostia River**.
- Plastic bags are already outlawed in San Francisco, Malibu, Fairfax and Palo Alto (CA)— as well as Westport (CT), Bethel (AK), and Edmonds (WA).
- This month, a ban in North Carolina’s Outer Banks was expanded from large retailers to all stores.
- Other bans in the works in California alone include Los Angeles County, San Jose, Santa Monica, Santa Cruz, Berkeley and Santa Clara County.
**It is interesting to note is that the DC tax is bringing in far less revenue than expected.
The latest data reveals the city collected just 1/3 of the estimated revenue from the $0.05 tax, which correlates with an informal survey that showed the use of bags by shoppers at grocery stores is down by 50%, while some big name have reported that bag use by their customers has fallen by 60%.
Despite not generating a lot of revenue, the bag gap is being cheered by proponents of the legislation. Why? Because funds generated by the tax are allocated toward clean-up efforts along the Anacostia River — a polluted urban waterway choked with discarded plastic bags. Fewer bags in general circulation means fewer bags landing in the river.
