New Plastic Bag Tax in Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax - Impact on Curbside Pick Up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the point of charging $.05 for the plastic bag with idea that somehow THAT will keep it from becoming litter. I don’t get this at all. Are people not going to toss it on the ground because it cost a nickel? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

Just ban the damn bags.

It encourages you to bring your own.

The problem is you can't bring your own for curbside pickup (groceries, takeout, etc.). That's the whole point behind OP's post, and I agree with it. I always bring my own when I do my own shopping, which is most of the time, but for the times when curbside is necessary, there is no way to reduce the number of plastic bags used. Seems to defeat the purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the point of charging $.05 for the plastic bag with idea that somehow THAT will keep it from becoming litter. I don’t get this at all. Are people not going to toss it on the ground because it cost a nickel? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

Just ban the damn bags.

It encourages you to bring your own.

The problem is you can't bring your own for curbside pickup (groceries, takeout, etc.). That's the whole point behind OP's post, and I agree with it. I always bring my own when I do my own shopping, which is most of the time, but for the times when curbside is necessary, there is no way to reduce the number of plastic bags used. Seems to defeat the purpose.

What do you put in trash cans in your house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand the point of charging $.05 for the plastic bag with idea that somehow THAT will keep it from becoming litter. I don’t get this at all. Are people not going to toss it on the ground because it cost a nickel? That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.

Just ban the damn bags.

That’s the beauty of the tax. Plastic bags have an environmental cost. That cost can be minimized if the bags are recycled (as I used to do). By charging five cents, they are giving you a choice: if you use the bags you are forced to pay the tax and therefore pay for (and internalize) their environmental cost. The great thing is now there is no need to voluntarily recycle the bags—if you’ve paid the tax, you’ve already paid for their environmental impact via the tax and can now simply throw them away (you shouldn’t litter, though—that’s illegal).