I need some help to break the disposable bag habit.
I know those ubiquitous plastic grocery bags are a major source of litter on land and sea and that such debris can poison fish and choke wildlife. I've cringed at bags stuck in trees along the highway and twisted in tall grasses that line tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Yet, a reusable cloth bag languishes in the back seat of my car, forgotten until it mocks me when I return from shopping carrying more of the wretched plastic things.
Luckily, there's new hope for anti-bag action from the nation's capital. The District of Columbia City Council recently approved a 5-cent fee on plastic and paper bags dispensed by groceries, restaurants, liquor stores and quick marts beginning in January. Amazingly, the vote was unanimous.
D.C.'s shut-out victory comes at a time when the Baltimore City Council is struggling to gain traction on a similar measure, the Philadelphia City Council rejected a plastic bag ban outright and the Annapolis City Council, an early leader in the anti-bag debate, seems to have given up on the effort.
Lessons from the legislative drive led by D.C. City Councilman Tommy Wells could guide anti-bag crusaders elsewhere. He said he designed it like an election campaign. He mastered his subject, learned from mistakes elsewhere, built a coalition of supporters, framed the debate, muted or isolated the opposition and essentially had the battle already won when he introduced the bill in February with 12 of 13 council members as lead sponsors.
Some key bits of wisdom gleaned:
A fee on both paper and plastic bags is more practical than a plastic ban. Plastic bags are cheaper than paper. Thus, a proposal to ban plastic draws fierce opposition from merchants and fails to address the environmental and energy costs of paper. A tax or fee - call it what you will - can be put toward a cleanup fund, but the real goal is to inspire shoppers to bring their own bags.
The great success story is Ireland, where a 15 Euro-cent plastic bag tax imposed in 2002 quickly resulted in a 90 percent drop in bag use. Merchants were discouraged from offering paper alternatives, so most Irish shoppers started carrying cloth bags. When plastic bag use started to creep back up in 2006, the bag levy was raised by another seven cents in 2007, and the trend reversed. Baltimore is considering a 25-cent bag fee for maximum effect. But Mr. Wells feared a high fee couldn't pass and believes the Irish proved the smaller levy can also work.
