The Swedish furniture company IKEA is charging customers at its U.S. stores 5 cents for a plastic bag in which to carry their purchases home. The company is hoping that other retailers will follow their lead.
When the charge for bags was introduced at their Great Britain stores, bag use dropped by 95 percent. IKEA says that 70 million bags are used by its U.S. stores alone. More than 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away each year in the United States, according to Worldwatch Institute.
IKEA is offering alternatives. For 59 cents, customers can purchase a large blue plastic bag, which can be reused 1,000 times, or they can bring their own bag.
Although thin plastic bags are offered free by most stores, the hidden costs are high when you consider the numbers of bags that are produced on a yearly basis — not to mention the emissions released during their manufacture, the degradation they can cause to aquatic wildlife habitat and, oh, yes, the amount of coal, petroleum or natural gas used as the raw materials to make them.
Posted by Patrice Hein
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11 Comments
I tax on those bags would be a great idea. Perhaps then people won’t be so quick to let them blow onto my property.
Europeans have been using their own bags and baskets for years. If you go to a store in Europe (especially in Germany) and don’t have a bag you will have to purchase one.
It makes perfect sense and is environmentally friendly. :)
We could learn a lot from other countries.
Australia recently enacted a law that calls for the phase-out of of traditional light bulbs in favor of the more energy conserving ones. Their phase out runs until 2009 which should give everyone ample time to use up their stash of light bulbs.
If we tried this here in the U.S. there would be a massive rebellion!
Another good thread for you Patrice.
But…uh….How DOES one carry furniture home in a plastic bag?
So FAR we have concensus. I can’t imagine the arguement against this.But there will be one.
Hey if for no other reason, consider your pocketbook. Dillons rebates 5 cents for each of these bags reused.
Consider that these damn things, like all plastic, are made from petrochemicals (oil)
I’m glad that we have them. But I’d like to see folks appreciative of their convenience with attendant responsibility.
We could learn a lot from other countries.
Australia recently enacted a law that calls for the phase-out of of traditional light bulbs in favor of the more energy conserving ones. Their phase out runs until 2009 which should give everyone ample time to use up their stash of light bulbs.
If we tried this here in the U.S. there would be a massive rebellion!
We may have things that we could learn, but MORE laws is NOT what we should be learning. This is supposed to be a FREE nation. where PEOPLE make decisions in the FREE market. We have nothing to learn from socialists who want to contol peoples lives by laws and regulation, whether that is guns, abortions or yes even plastic bags.
dr
Now you make sure you remember that philosophy of yours if we ever need a military draft again.
What’s the big deal expecting people to be environmetally responsible? Hell even a dog knows better than to sh** its own bed.
Just make sure you are intellectually honest. You cant warrant intrusion for something as petty as plastic bags and then say its my life and my decision in other more critical and profound subjects where who is harmed is clear….There are many more choices to regulate before plastic bags if you are going to be an interventionist…and judging by the types that usually comment around here….I don’t think that is what is desired.
“Hell even a dog knows better than to sh** its own bed.”
Is this the same dog who will eat it? Or drink out of the toilet bowl?
Good idea. Providing my own bags is something that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time, it’s just kind of a pain in the butt so it has never happened… And Ikea must be making a load of cash because those bags only cost like 1/2 a cent each…
Thank God for plastics.
What’s the big deal? Aldi has been charging for bags for years. Why is this news?