Charging for carrier bags: Saving the world or capitalism at work?
What are everyone’s opinions on this one; is it a way to save the planet or wonderful capitalism at work? Maybe most of you won’t know, but many supermarkets in Japan (Jusco, San-A etc) are going to start charging for plastic carrier bags after a successful trial in Naha, Okinawa. The final price is as yet undecided but it is thought to be around 5-10 yen per bag that you use. China and Australia have already warmed to the idea and are making plans to implement the same type of scheme.
Now Japan is ever so slightly OTT when it comes to plastic bags, I must admit. I personally will not be devastated if my sealed ice cream touches my sealed bottle of water, or my pack of razor blades manages to touch my loaf of bread packaging, but regardless I will get a separate bag for them all. Consequently, an idea to curb this use was definitely a good one. And my students are definitely all for this, despite them getting bags at the Family Mart for whatever they order. They feel that “MyBag” is going to save the environment, reduce global warming and possibly even find a cure for the common cold.
But, as someone who’s a natural skeptic and who dabbles in economics, I can’t help but feel something wrong with this idea. Surely, what the supermarkets are simply doing is charging for something that was provided free (or at least included in the prices) before? Wouldn’t a better scheme simply be to offer a discount of a certain amount if you provide your own bag, which would be meaning you are costing the supermarket itself less money to provide a bag? This would seem a much fairer way of doing this. Then there’s the fact that if you’re organising a huge party or plan on doing a massive load of shopping that you will have to take in a suitcase or fork out for the number of plastic bags you use. And it is still unclear as to whether the “dangerous” items which need to be bagged separately will still incur a charge for their own small bags.
I’m expecting the usual backlash that most people get when they question an environmental plan, but it is certainly something worth thinking about.
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In the UK, most supermarkets charge something like 3p for bags now. I was a little skeptical as, obviously, it means more money for the company but maybe anything that reduces plastic bag prevalence is a good thing? I don’t know.
I, personally am all for it. But then I have been bring my own bags for years. I think the only way much environmental change is going to happen is by people being pushed into it. Most people don’t see the grand scheme benefits of helping the environment in their every day lives. So unless you do it for that feel good feeling of doing the right thing, you have no motivation.
Some stores in the US do charge for using plastic bags but most that are going eco friendly give a discount to those that bring their own. This works great in Co-ops and organic stores, but these people are usually already environmentally conscious. It does not work so well in big chain grocery stores, because some how the average American thinks that saving 2% when buying means nothing but paying 2% causes outrage.
Same thing with gas, when gas is $2.99 no big deal, but some how when gas hits $3.00 thats way to much and people drive less. Its just sort of odd that way. But honestly I think, especially in America, the only way to get people to change, is to charge them money. Discounts only work on things like solar panels or big ticket items. Things like groceries, and saving X%, people just don’t care.
Don’t agree with the petrol comparison I’m afraid. Petrol is a very inelastic good meaning cost can go up and down all it likes but people will still use just about the same amount. It can be categorized alongside cigarettes and alcohol for its inelasticity. Hence why the British government is always putting so much tax on those things. They know that people will purchase them regardless, and so are not afraid to pile on the tax.
Well currently Florida has lowered their gas prices to $2.99 because they found that at $3.00 the locals stopped doing all the touristy things in the off season. They were loosing to much money because people saw $3.00 and decided to stay home and rent a movie instead of go diving or go to Disney. Increasing gas prices in the US are having a temporary effect.
Walmart also found if they kept their gas prices at $2.99 then people would come and buy gas and they would make up the difference in selling soda, snacks, concessions etc. Again the $3.00 magic number was killing their sales because people started driving less.
You can’t kill off America’s love affair with cars, but for the short term you sure can convince people not to drive all over.
On a side note plastic bags are also made from petrol and so their price also fluctuates with gas prices. Would you rather bring your own bags to the grocery store or have the stores charge extra money for food to make up the cost? The bags are getting expensive so its no longer cheap for the stores to foot the bill.