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Plastic bags have never been free. Instead, their private cost is incorporated into the price of the purchased products, but this is not the only cost of plastic bags for the consumer (Allan 2002). There is additionally a social cost, a price paid for the impact of the pollution upon the aquatic environment and, ultimately, upon the consumers own health. Of the 3.92 billion plastic bags that Australia consumes annually(Commonwealth of Australia 2016), 80 million enter the litter stream, with 1-3% entering Australian waterways (Allan 2002; Dunn, Caplan & Bosworth 2014). About 35% of aquatic life has ingested plastic, resulting in the human consumption of plastic from seafood and eventually leading to increasing cost of healthcare for the consumer …show more content…
In the case of a negative externality, Pigovian taxes can be used to bring about an efficient level of output in the presence of externalities and into an efficient market (Hubbard et al 2016 page 300). By penalising the product, the tax would limit the activity that is the negative externality. Due to the fact that Pigovian taxes are primarily a behaviour-changing tax rather than a revenue raising tax, the amount tax is only equal to the cost of the externality. Pigovian taxes are internalised by the producer (Austin 1999) and because this raises this cost, the manufacturers would decrease the quantity that is produced. This will shift the supply curve up by the taxed amount, absorbing the social costs of plastic bags as seen in figure 2. Consequently, the equilibrium will decrease to an efficient level, increasing the price will be paid by …show more content…
Ireland in 2002, for example, introduced a £0.15/bag tax [~$0.26AUD/bag(CalcProfi.com 2002a)] resulting in a usage reduction of 94%(Convery, McDonnell & Ferreira 2006). The litter stream in Ireland, which was made up of 5% plastic bags, fell to 0.22% by 2004 (The Department of the Environment and Local Government 2003). Similarly, in 2003, South Africa implemented a R0.46/bag tax [~$0.08AUD/bag (CalcProfi.com 2002b)] with an 80% decline in consumption (Dunn, Caplan & Bosworth 2014). However, where the Irish succeeded in an effective long run solution, South Africa has failed, having virtually no effect on the consumption of plastic bags (Dikganga, Leimana & Vissera 2011). According to Dikganga, Leimana and Vissera (2011), “the bag is a convenience whose price is low relative to an overall shopping bill and, while consumers may have reacted to the initial levy with shock, and changed their behaviour in the short run, over time the loss aversion effect decreased.” This means that the tax will be successful only if the price is sufficient enough to cover social costs, but also dissuade over-consumption as per the pre-tax
Which means their obviously bad for the aquatic marine life environment & are cause many different forms of damage for them & us as one. On p.g. 23 of The New York Times upfront magazine “Birds,fish, sea turtles, & others are getting tangled in plastic bags or mistake them for food & choke”. Someone else might argue that they could the plastic bags in landfills instead of oceans. But that counter- argument is flawed because you’re just polluting by burning plastic which is bad on our part we’re not doing our part to support & taking care of the earth. Plastic in the ocean isn't just bad for plants & animals but for humans too because of the food chain some of us eat animals as a meat source such as aqua marine life like fish. If the fishermen catch fish that have been eating plastic then it's in our food supply if we eat that fish it's gonna be bad for us so many will end up getting sick from the plastic inside of the fish then what will we do our aqua marine food supply will go down the drain we couldn’t eat the fish since it's basically contaminated with plastic that we’re dumping there instead of trying to fix it & getting rid of plastic bags for good for the good of the earth. We’re causing damage towards the earth by dumping all that plastic into the ocean which damages our water supply it’ll poison us although we clean the water it depends on how big the plastic particles are, it’ll make us sick & sense it’s been lying in the oceans could bring in new pathogens &
You can 't make people reduce their consumption overall because they won 't do it, but you can give them a way to “give back ” so to say, by recycling. Another point Handley makes in this article is that paper sludge is just disgusting, so what, why does that matter? If it 's not appealing to the eye we just don 't recycle. This is for the environment it will better the environment and will make for a better
It can discourage business investment and expansion, as additional profit is taxed at higher rates
“Paper or plastic?” This is often a question customers are asked at the weekly trip to the supermarket to purchase groceries to keep families fed. Adam B. Summers has created a highly plausible argument that may change customer’s answer next time. In Summers’ “Bag ban bad for freedom and environment” editorial for the San Diego Union-Tribune, he argues against the possible laws hindering Californians from using plastic bags at grocery stores. He believes they would do more harm than good, and that “a little reason and perspective is in order.” By the end of this piece the reader will likely find themselves nodding in agreement with what Summers has to say, and this isn’t just because he’s right. Summers, like any good writer, employs tactical
By adding a tax, people will stop buying unhealthy foods daily. Being able to decrease the number of unhealthy food people eat, will better our overall health, and will decline our obesity rates. A study done "as of 2003, US states without sales taxes on soft drinks or snack foods were 4 times as likely as states with a tax to have a relative increase in the prevalence of obesity" (Franck, Grandi, & Eisenberg, 2003). This is a good example of how taxing junk food will help the populations problem with obesity. With easier access to junk food, people are more likely to buy it because it is a cheap substitute for the pricey healthy
Every year, an estimated 8 million tons of plastic waste enters our environment, severely polluting oceans, beaches, forests, and even the towns and cities we live in. In the ocean alone, it is believed that 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic pollutes the waters (“Plastic Statistics”, Ocean Crusaders).The majority of plastic pollution can be traced back to single-use items, such as grocery bags, bottles, and plastic packaging. According to United Nations Environment, “At the rate we are dumping items such as plastic bottles, bags and cups after a single use, by 2050 oceans will carry more plastic than fish…” (“UN Declares War on Ocean Plastic”, UN Environment). This pollution is a major problem and endangers not only the environment, but human
The bill passed against this prevented cites from banning plastic grocery bags or charging an extra fee for the bags. Many argued that current plastic bags are mostly made from recycled items and that they produced the same harm as paper bags. However, other argued that the excess use of these bags and the impact that they cause to the environment is uncontrollable. Several farmers also argued that their animals were becoming sick because they were exposed to them and would often eat them. Many industries would also be affected by this ban, but if we look at the issue with the environment in perspective, the benefits that would come with a reduction of plastic bags is numerous. These bags are consumed every day, and it would be interesting to see how much less damage and other benefits would come from this practice. There are many cities in Texas where this ban was passed on successfully. For example, in a comparison between Austin where the ban was approved, and some of the requirements are that the bags must contain a minimum percentage of recycled content, and Fort Worth were the ban was disapproved. “Advocates of the policy are supported by a comparison with Fort Worth, which has no plastic bag ordinance and had four times the amount of plastic bags in its litter stream as Austin. The amounts were calculated based on local litter sweeps done earlier this year in each city” (Miller par. 6). This shows the benefits of the ban and how it has impacted the cities environment. Other places are still pending the approval and in the other hand Dallas is one of the places where this ban was
Adding a bagging tax can become a big burden on people that already struggle to get groceries. Grocery stores should not add a tax on the bags used to carry out an individual's purchases. Taxes may create more paperwork, create more responsibility, create conflict, and create difficulties for low-income individuals. People shouldn't have to worry when they go to the grocery store, it should be one place they can relax. Grocery taxes are unnecessary and will be a stressful situation for everyone.
Also recycling as spoiled societies in well developed regions. I Believe we consume way more then we need because we know it 's will be reused for a good cause but all that waste is generating more working for recyclers which in way is counterbalancing the environmental benefit. In Junkyard Planet by Adam Minter he spoke on a study that was done at the university where they observed the paper towel usage in a men 's restroom over a period of time. First with just a trash can and then the second time the recycling bin included the study found that that people used about half a hand towel more where there was a recycling bin (pg 266). “The increasing consumption found is partially due to the fact that consumers are well aware that recycling is beneficial for the environment: however the costs of recycling are less salient”(Minter 267). I believe the reason why recycling isn 't technically working is because we consumer see recycling as a first option when it 's actually should be sacred process that should be used in rarity. We as consumers need to think conserve instead of
Following his quick introduction of the issue’s background, Summers immediately gave his estimation of the costs of the bag ban. He estimated the possible losses caused by the bag ban on retailers, highlighting the ban would cost “2 million dollars in total sales and 10,000 square feet of retail space” per year. Summers used such estimations to highlight that the suspected culprits of plastic bag pollution, the retailers, would be a major victim of the bag ban. This plausible estimation began the passage in a firm stance that the bag ban would cause more harm towards the people than solving the plastic pollution problem.
When manufacturer get taxed they are given the choose to improve there produce or increase their price, when price is increased it helps the community because there is less by junk food. A tax that may affect manufacturers is the fat tax that is just made for unhealthy food and drink and categorize junk food so that people know what they are eating. This tax may affect manufacturers by having them follow guide line that limit their ability to make sugar filled food. In America the city that are taxing sugar drink are focusing on taxing consumer, but it is not affect because in some place consumers are not even being taxed and evidence of obesity deceasing can not be seen until ten years after the starting of the taxing of sugar drinks, so it is not clear if taxing consumers is the best idea. In a country like Hungry and Denmark taxing manufactures has been successful.
Plastic and paper are two of the most used items in the entire world, and, conveniently, they are the most commonly found items. Some people may take the idea that one person can make a small difference a little too literally. they may think that one little piece of a cigarette butt or a candy wrappers won't make a difference in protecting our world; however, if everyone thinks that way, each piece of litter thrown will take us one step closer to the pollution of our
Plastic or paper, is a choice that people face when going to the grocery stores. Plastic bags are often the choice that is made. A controversial issue in the world today is the use of plastic bags. Plastic bags are used because of the convenience they give, by being able to carry several items at once. However, in the article, “Banning Bans, Not Bags”, Jennifer Schultz claims, “Plastic bags clog up local waterways, litter roadways, and get swallowed up by unsuspecting fish” (6). Plastic bags are used once, then are discarded or, littered all over the place. When they are littered all over they become problems for more than just humans. These plastic bags pose a big hazard for animals on land and in especially the ocean. Humans eat land and
Although plastic bags appear to be fragile and light, their negative environmental effect is devastating. Plastic bags may cause large amounts of pollution in every step of their limited life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, production, transportation, and recycling or disposal. Plastic bags can be defined as the most damaging form of environmental pollution. They can have a damaging effect on marine animals and wildlife in addition to the aesthetic effects on beaches, parks, and trees. Plastic bags are potentially one of the main causes of death to marine animals (Harbor keepers,2008). Up to one hundred thousand marine animals or more die each year from eating plastic bags which are mistaken for food. This can result in blocking the animal’s intestines and possibly lead to the animal’s death. Another possible situation is that wildlife, such as birds, can get tangled in plastic bags causing choking and immobility, which may eventually lead to death. (Senior, 2008) and (Citizen Campaign, 2010). In other situations, after plastic bags photo degrade they remain toxic and could be eaten by fish, shellfish or any other marine life and survive this allows the toxins to enter our food chain through bioaccumulation (Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, 2011).
Manitoba, a place knew for adoring new and high taxes, refused to add junk food taxes because they knew that it was going to be a waste of time and there would not be any positive results (5). The many studies of junk food taxes have soon other countries that it is not going to work. People will find other alternative to get the sugary high they need. A study in a small city showed that soda intake decreased for a small amount of time and then it increased again, as well as the sales on beer increased (Luciani P.