There
is currently a movement sweeping the nation; it started out in San Francisco as
an effort to reduce pollution, but now it has turned into much, much more. The bag tax is one of the most wanted
and, at the same time, argued pieces of legislation popping up in cities across
the United States. In the
beginning, it was an environmentalist push for a greener city, but it is now a
socio-enviro-economic tool being used to boost local economies, cut down on
plastic pollution and give citizens the notion that they are helping out their
community. This market-based
policy tactic is one of the most effective and influential policy-making tools
available today.
The
main purpose and goal of a bag tax is to impose a tax, usually 5-10 cents per
bag, to sway people away from the use of plastics and towards reusable,
eco-friendly bags. Each city that
has adopted this policy has had their own take on this rule, sometimes making a
higher fee (10-20 cents) or also charging a fee for the use of paper bags as
well. Usually, the money raised
through the tax is used to fund environmental enforcement and cleanup efforts,
as well as other environmentally related efforts within the community.
In
the Baltimore Sun article, “Bag Tax
Legislation for Prince George’s County Moves Forward”, writer Drew Grossman
discusses how this movement has made its way into our local community and what
the possible outcomes could be.
The bag tax was recently imposed in Montgomery County, MD at the beginning
of the 2012 year and has been in effect in Washington D.C. for two years. Prince George’s officials have used
these two examples as blueprints and “crystal balls” to try and predict how
this tax would play out if implemented in Prince George’s County, MD.
Market-based
environmental policies, according to Stavins and Whitehead, are, “regulation
that encourages appropriate environmental behavior through price signals rather
than through explicit instructions” (Hadden). Normally, market-based approaches are cost effective and
encourage technological improvement, leave choice of how to accomplish goals up
to individual or firm and [show the] importance of incentives (Hadden). By taxing those who continue to use
plastic bags, the money acquired will allow for the production of locally made
reusable bags and to invest in other technologies for goods to be carried. Grossman notes in his article in a
conversation with Mike Bolinder, the Anacostia Waterkeeper, that, “Because almost half of the Anacostia
River's watershed lies in Prince George's County, the new bag fee under
consideration will help further reduce the number of disposable plastic bags
that pollute the river” (Grossman).
A main idea of this political tactic is
that the economic impact will have enough of an effect on people that the end
goal (a reduction in plastic bag usage) will present itself without any
governmental regulation, meaning putting a ban on all plastic bags. Even though it is such a small price to
pay for a bag, only 5 cents, cities that have implemented this tax have seen
drastic reductions in plastic bag usage, and even more importantly, plastic bag
pollution. For example, in
Washington D.C., since first adopting this tax in 2010, has seen a 75% decrease
in plastic bag usage (of the polled citizens) and has raised $1.8 million from
the tax along with over $1.3 million from donations and grants (Grossman). It is clear, just in this region, that
a market-based approach such as the bag tax is effective; it is just a matter
of if it is accepted by the community and by local political officials.
In
lecture given by Dr. Hadden at the University of Maryland, College Park on “Market-Based Mechanisms”, she touched on the
idea that many environmentalists and environmental groups favor these
“quasi-market” schemes over others such as command and control (Hadden). Due to the government action involved
in market-based schemes, there is rarely any room to get away with not
complying with the law. For
example, if a city adopts a bag tax, anyone who purchases a good within the
city limits must pay for the bag if they choose to get one. On the other hand, each business must
abide by the law and tax consumers for each bag. In the case of the Prince George’s County bag fee, the idea
of environmental groups supporting schemes like this is proven true. There are plenty of non-profit
environmental organizations that have voiced their opinions and have become
active players in trying to get this law passed. Organizations such as Surfrider DC and Bag Free Maryland are
two key organizations that have, from the beginning, been spreading knowledge
within the county of how much of a difference this tax would make on the local
environment. Both of these groups
also helped get the Montgomery County bag that passed as well as the Washington
D.C. bag tax.
With
the market-based approach to the bag tax comes plenty of criticism. Fortunately, the areas of criticism
that Dr. Hadden had addressed can all be answered with a positive note of the
bag tax. In general the
market-based mechanism was critiqued thoroughly in the Goodwin article. It is mentioned that we want “polluters
not to pollute” not for “polluters to pay for polluting” (Hadden). While this may be true, it is almost
impossible to stop all polluting at every level. Therefore, we must compromise and take something rather than
nothing. At the same time, with
this approach, unlike others, money is being made off of the tax which is going
directly back into the community to help clean it more. This idea is 100 percent green in the
sense that the government is trying to cut down on plastics, and instead of
pocketing the profits they are recycling them. The issue of fairness is also brought up; Goodwin asks “Is
it fair for everyone in the environmental community to have to do the same
thing?” The answer is yes; mostly
everyone in this community contributes to pollution and is guilty, somewhere
down the road, of throwing plastic or trash on the ground. Even though they might not be guilty in
doing so now, it is simple to switch from plastic bags to reusable bags. Not only will there be a sense of peace
knowing that they aren’t contributing to plastic usage but people will realize
that the cost of purchasing a reusable bag is just as much as a purchasing few plastic
bags that, not to mention, can only be use one or twice. Goodwin also mentions that there is
usually a problem setting the price in market-based approaches. In the case of the Prince Georges
County bag tax, the 5-cent tax has proven to be the best price to start out
with. As seen in D.C., Montgomery
County and elsewhere, 5-cents has drastically reduced plastic bag usage within
a short period of time. After a
few years of reduction, lawmakers can decide whether to raise that tax to
further push for less plastic usage – something that we have seen in San
Francisco and other areas.
Goodwin’s main argument in his piece is that people will still pollute
if they have the money or until it is unacceptable by law to use any resource,
in this case plastic bags. While
this may be true, that people will still purchase bags, statistics clearly show
that the number of plastic bags have gone down by almost 50 percent in some
locations within a few years of the tax being put into effect. When environmental groups inform local
citizens of the toll plastic has on the environment and the damage it can cause
to human health, there will be more people who will take action to reduce their
effect on the environment than there will be those who do not. While Goodwin does make quality
arguments against the market-based approach, in the case of the plastic bag tax
in Prince Georges County, this approach will do wonders for the environment and
economy. In a place that is
littered with plastic and trash, a market-based solution such a bag tax will
help out a less-affluent communities such as College Park, Hyattsville and
Beltsville.
Even
though there are many clear positives to adopting a bag tax in any community,
there are still some areas of the tax itself that could be corrected. Living in College Park, I have spoken
to a few vendors who have said that this tax will not pass because “poor people”
cannot afford it and will not want to have to deal with the inconvenience of a 5-cent
tax on plastic bags. It is
understandable why one would say this, but I think that the issue at hand is
the education of the local citizens.
Not whether or not they are smart, but instead being educated about
pollution, human health hazards from plastic and environmental hazards from
plastic pollution and other pollution.
Yes, there are some groups who advocate for this cause and do their best
to educate the public, but there is only so much that they can do. Every town in America should want to push
for such a beneficial tax; each town, whether it is Bethesda or Baltimore, has
pollution in its environment, in its water and chances are you will see plastic
bags on the sides of their roads.
It should be the responsibility of the policymakers to want to have a
clean town and to want to protect their citizens, it shouldn’t be about
political identity or labeling it a “leftist” thought, it should be about doing
to the right thing and taking an easy of a step as mandating a 5-cent tax on
plastic bags towards living in a better community. Education of the public is the main problem with this
market-based solution to plastic bag pollution. If people were more educated about this subject than I am
willing to bet that this tax would be implemented in cities across the United
States.
Works Cited
Hadden,
Dr. Jennifer. "Approaches: Market-Based Mechanisms
." Class. GVPT273. Lecture, College Park. 15 Apr. 2012. Lecture.
Grossman, Drew. "Bag tax legislation for
Prince George's County moves forward." Baltimore
Sun 2 Feb.
2012: n. pag. Baltimore Sun . Web. 12 Apr. 2012.
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