Well it would seem the city council’s long standing tradition of trying to tax literally anything and everything under the guise of environmental or safety concerns has come to a head this week, as the now nearly two year old issue (1, 2, 3) of the city’s efforts to ban/tax plastic bag usage at grocery stores has been brought to light again.
Realistically there’s no way in the world the city council will end up banning them, for as we all know, there’s no money in that. The alternate intent is currently to issue a 25 cent surcharge on each and every plastic bag used, the aim being to “reduce litter” across the city. I modestly propose several reasons why this is horribly misguided. Again. For the third time in two years.
Everyone is already pissed
Property taxes in Baltimore are as high as ever, we just ousted a corrupt mayor who will be receiving an $83,000 annual pension regardless of her transgression, and let’s face it the economy is still very well lodged directly in the bottom of the toilet. And you want to make people pay for plastic grocery bags, on top of all of it? Makes perfect sense!
The market is handling it
Dunno if everyone has noticed (they have), but almost every grocery store has started placing bag recycling boxes outside of their locations and have been offering incentives to reuse bags or reusable totes. The businesses are creating an incentive and the people are taking advantage of it. No legislation necessary. Additionally consider this: implement the fee and people who live on the city’s borders (Irvington, West Gate, etc) will simply drive an extra half a mile and shop outside of the city, where the fee is nonexistent – then proceed to drive back into the city, unload their groceries and throw the plastic bags into the street anyway. So you’ve effectively lowered the level of business conducted in the city AND not solved the litter problem. Way to go!
The “gotcha” effect
So let me get this straight: I’m supposed to carry plastic bags or reusable tote bags with me everywhere, all of the time in an effort to avoid being penalized unless I’ve planned on a shopping trip ahead of time? I’m really supposed to always have one on hand, when I need to run into 7-11 and grab some quick food?
The “dogshit” effect
It’s no mystery to anyone that Baltimore has a dogshit problem. In fact I get the sensation that if plastic grocery bags didn’t exist, the city would be blanketed in dogshit. Granted, it’s just as easy to pick up a canine pet’s excrement using a sandwich bag or something slightly smaller, but more than likely a lot of people will simply stop picking up their dog’s shit if they have to pay a quarter every time they do so.
…..actually, the idea of paying a quarter to pick up crap to me is kind of a beautiful cruelty. And for that reason this is my only point I will make in favor of the tax. Mwaaaaahahahahahahahaha!
Anyway, the 25 cent fee proposed is a deliberate move to overshoot the actual amount they probably think they’ll get through. Obviously 25 cents is incredibly high, whereas DC’s 5 cent surcharge would probably be the intended target. The whole point is to get the concept of levying the fee through the door, get the public semi-comfortable with it, and finally get it passed at a lower level than initially proposed. Classic politics, emphasis on ‘ass.’ My advice to you, dear reader, is to not fall for it – because they’re just going to try it again with something else later.
One other point – as i understand it, the law would exempt bags for meat and dairy.
So simply make sure when you go thru the checkout line at Safeway to put meat, cheese, eggs, or milk in each bag. No fees.
And how do you enforce such a tax? Bag Police at the door?
Ah ha! Better yet, I’ll put one slice of cheese in each bag and NEVER have to pay a single cent extra! Take THAT
I save my bags and give them to the homeless shelter downtown. Homeless people need them to carry their stuff around in and they do eventually break so they go through them pretty quickly.
And as I pointed out on Twitter, it bugs me to no end to see a woman put huge valu-packs of factory-farmed ground beef (on Styrofoam, wrapped in plastic) into cloth bags. The irony is paralyzing. Plastic grocery bags are re-usable, at least.
I have nearly a dozen reusable shopping bags in my trunk, so in case I’m ever gripped by the urge to shop ’til I drop, I can drag it all home in cloth bags.
Except at Target, because their bags are the right size for my wastebasket. (I have my vices.)
One note: if you’re just running into 7-11 for one or two items, you probably don’t need a bag in the first place. If everyone who bagged their milk just carried it by the handle, we’d probably cut plastic bag usage down significantly.
my question is where are all these plastic bags coming from? it’s not like i unload my groceries into the fridge, and instantly run out into the street and say “F YOU BALTIMORE MUAHAHAHAH!” and throw all my bags into the air.
i would be willing to bet that a large portion come from the street waste baskets not being emptied.
just a guess.
Wait you don’t do that? I thought that was the cool thing to do this whole time! Shit!
@justin — Yes! Target bags are the best.