DC Plastic bag tax cuts monthly usage by 19 million
Washington, D.C.’s Department of the Environment instituted one of the nation’s first bag taxes in January, charging 5 cents for each paper or plastic bag issued in bakeries, delis, grocery stores, drug stores, department stores and convenience stores. The result has been a dramatic drop in the number of plastic bags distributed: from a 2009 monthly average of 22.5 million bags to just 3 million in January. The regulation has dramatically reduced the contribution of plastic bags to landfills, and the revenue generated from the tax ($150,000 in January alone) will be used to clean up the Anacostia River.
Mayor Bloomberg developed a similar proposal for New York City’s plastic bags, but it has languished under City Council opposition.
(via Treehugger)
