Plastic Bag Tax

Lyaiera

Was the plastic bag tax a good move or bad move? Anyone remember what minister or party brought it in?

According to the Environment department it's introduction "...had an immediate effect on consumer behaviour with a decrease in plastic bag usage from an estimated 328 bags per capita to 21 bags per capita overnight."

I wasn't doing much household shopping at that point, but I certainly know I use less bags now than I did prior to this. To me it seems like an effective law. I figure 12 years on is a good time to evaluate it. Would people go back to using hundreds of plastic bags a year if the tax was removed?

cloud493

No not really. Handier to pay a euro or so and have a load of much bigger stronger bags.

Mint Sauce

Dont see many disgarded bags flying around any more. Thats a good thing.

Has certainly changed the habits of both shoppers and retailers. The UK only recently brought in bag charges, and shop owners would even be offering bags if you had only brought a bag of sweets and the newpaper, then give an odd look if you declined, unfortunately some of their charges also include paper bags.

I think it was a good thing. I always carry around bags so I don't need plastic ones.

I was shocked when I went to London last June and they still throw them at you over there. I bought a pack of paracetamol in Tesco and they gave me a plastic bag for it!

C.K Dexter Haven

Yes. Imitated often in other countries since.

/thread.

mad muffin

To counter this draconian tax. I have taken it upon myself to counter it.

Plastic bags in the blue bin

Old electronics in the green bin

Glass bottles in the green bin

Dog poo in the brown bin

And so on.

C.K Dexter Haven

mad muffin wrote: »

To counter this draconian tax. I have taken it upon myself to counter it.

Plastic bags in the blue bin

Old electronics in the green bin

Glass bottles in the green bin

Dog poo in the brown bin

And so on.

You're a rebel:cool:

crockholm

Not sure iirc,but at the time I thought that the Money earned would go into an environmental fund-I wonder what Projects have been funded by said fund if it was indeed how I remembered.

mad muffin

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

You're a rebel:cool:

I know right?!

Just the other day I took the dog for a walk and didn't even pick up his poop.

Just hoping someone will step in it.

ctrl-alt-delete

cloud493 wrote: »

No not really. Handier to pay a euro or so and have a load of much bigger stronger bags.

That is part of the aim of it is though no?

I think it was a great thing in the fact that you don't see as many of them littering the streets anymore.

C.K Dexter Haven

mad muffin wrote: »

I know right?!

Just the other day I took the dog for a walk and didn't even pick up his poop.

Just hoping someone will step in it.

Mad Muffin you!

kneemos

Maybe they could come up with a way of taxing away the bags of rubbish strewn along every back road in the country.

mad muffin

C.K Dexter Haven wrote: »

Mad Muffin you!

WOO DOGGIE!!

Ima bad ass

*flexes*flexes*



:pac:

solomafioso

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qssvnjj5Moo

PizzamanIRL

Sure plastic bags are just very thin pieces of plastic shaped to hold items.

Hope this answers your question OP

siblers

Karsini wrote: »

I think it was a good thing. I always carry around bags so I don't need plastic ones.

I was shocked when I went to London last June and they still throw them at you over there. I bought a pack of paracetamol in Tesco and they gave me a plastic bag for it!

Yeah it was pretty disgusting to be honest seeing plastic bags all over the ground and stuff inside in the tescos I went to over there. I was so used to our plastic bag tax that I didn't even take advantage of the free plastic bags. Felt weird

colossus-x

I think if the charge was say 7cent it would have had just a much of a positive effect in regards personal responsibility towards these kinds of environmental issues but conversely I continually feel totally pi**ed off to pay 22 cent for a bag on the occasion I simply need it cause I didn't' come from home when i was passing the supermarket. A rip off law or whatever its called introduced during the Celtic tiger frenzy and should be looked at again re the charges !

stevek93

It is illegal for a shop to hand you a plastic without charing you bag isn't it? I've been handed plastic bags many a times without being charged for them.

Hermy

stevek93 wrote: »

It is illegal for a shop to hand you a plastic without charing you bag isn't it? I've been handed plastic bags many a times without being charged for them.

Did you inform the Gardaí?

salamanca22

Can only speak for myself but I have been using the same bags for about a year now and I have one of those fabric bags that I rarely go out of the house with incase I go into a shop. Folds into a neat square.

AnonoBoy

stevek93 wrote: »

It is illegal for a shop to hand you a plastic without charing you bag isn't it? I've been handed plastic bags many a times without being charged for them.

I don't think more so they have to pay the tax on them so it's a cost that they should pass on.

If they want to take the hit on the tax that's their lookout.


Dunnes on George's St. in Dublin don't do the small plastic bags at all, so if you pop in for groceries on the way home from town and don't have bags with you you have to shell out for one of the big ones, which is irritating and calculating on their behalf I think.

CarrickMcJoe

stevek93 wrote: »

It is illegal for a shop to hand you a plastic without charing you bag isn't it? I've been handed plastic bags many a times without being charged for them.

Hermy wrote: »

Did you inform the Gardaí?

No, Ring the Lav line..

Irish Guitarist

Years ago almost every tree you walked past had a plastic bag hanging out of it.

The tax was a good idea to begin with the cost of bags is ridiculous now. A flimsy little bag costs about half as much as a Tesco Bag For Life does, and even more than a big thick bag from Aldi.

snubbleste

Proof that imposing a tax alters human behaviour

stevek93

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I don't think more so they have to pay the tax on them so it's a cost that they should pass on.

If they want to take the hit on the tax that's their lookout.


Dunnes on George's St. in Dublin don't do the small plastic bags at all, so if you pop in for groceries on the way home from town and don't have bags with you you have to shell out for one of the big ones, which is irritating and calculating on their behalf I think.

No Dunne's that I know of do the small plastic bags silly as you always end up forgetting and have to buy the large ones.

recylingbin

I get my bags on the black market, thus circumventing this bloodsucking tax.
Almost certainly my money helps fund organised crime in Russia or Finglas.

stevek93

recylingbin wrote: »

I get my bags on the black market, thus circumventing this bloodsucking tax.
Almost certainly my money helps fund organised crime in Russia or Finglas.

lol at the username

Pinch Flat

Plastic bags virtually unknown when I was a student working in Germany in 1990. So we're not the first. Changes peoples attitudes here though.

Chinasea

Last minister for the Environment had the opportunity to do something about the empty coke, lucozade, etc plastic bottle scourge. He did nothing.

Every square inch of this country is littered with these cursed bottles. Really wish the deposit refund scheme was introduced, which operates extremely efficiently in parts of America and continental Europe.

Our litter problem would be almost solved overnight if this would only come about.