plastic bag levy set to double

triple-M

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0924/bags.html

they introduced it at 15c then they increased it to 22c to discourage people even more from using bags now its just becoming a revenue generator as far as im concerned ,I work in retail and I work occasionally on checkouts and im readying myself for a major backlash from customers and rightly so ,im really peed off with this

jor el

I heard this on the news this morning. The reason given was to prevent littering. Sounds like BS to me. Who does their shopping, buys a plastic bag, brings the shopping home, then throws the bag outside afterward? More likely that the doubling will bring in twice as much revenue, none of which is spent on keeping the place clean.

I pity the checkout operators who are going to bare the brunt of this.

mike65

jor el wrote: »

I heard this on the news this morning. The reason given was to prevent littering. Sounds like BS to me. Who does their shopping, buys a plastic bag, brings the shopping home, then throws the bag outside afterward? More likely that the doubling will bring in twice as much revenue, none of which is spent on keeping the place clean.

I pity the checkout operators who are going to bare the brunt of this.

Don't you remember how every road in the country was lined with those small lightweight striped blue/pink plastic bags before charging?

No-one needs to get caught out, just buy a few reusable bags.

mcaul

Considering that all of the revenue from this goes into anti-littering initiatives, I can't see it being a rip off.

Also, its dreadfully easy to avoid the charge.

I've become lazy and don't always take bags with me - this will certainly make me ensure I always have bags with me.

Oryx

I dont use bags anymore, cos I never think to bring them with me. Ive gotten in the habit of just putting everything back in the trolley, then straight into the boot of the car. And in Lidl they always have stacks of boxes you can use anyway.

In smaller shops Ive gotten very good at stacking my purchases in my arms till I get to my car.

But it does sound to me like this tax is getting further from its original 'deterrent' reason, and becoming more now an accepted additional form of taxation revenue. Its like all taxes, they bring it in small, and rack it up once you get used to it.

NinjaTruncs

mcaul wrote: »

Considering that all of the revenue from this goes into anti-littering initiatives, I can't see it being a rip off.

Also, its dreadfully easy to avoid the charge.

I've become lazy and don't always take bags with me - this will certainly make me ensure I always have bags with me.

I agree while the 44c seems a lot, i used to work in a superValu and we were going through about 25,000 bags a week, imagine what the likes of Tesco, Dunnes and Superquinn are using.

Also we used to have customers come in and ask for only 3 or 4 items to be put into each bag as they claimed they would get to heavy, said customers would then lift 3 or 4 bags in each hand.

loyatemu

jor el wrote: »

I heard this on the news this morning. The reason given was to prevent littering. Sounds like BS to me. Who does their shopping, buys a plastic bag, brings the shopping home, then throws the bag outside afterward? More likely that the doubling will bring in twice as much revenue, none of which is spent on keeping the place clean.

it was to reduce to littering (which was a major problem - people don't just throw them into the wind, but they do fall out of bins, get left lying around etc) and to reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill.

Its a tax designed to reduce consumption - it has absolutely worked in this regard, the vast majority of supermarket shoppers now bring their own bags with them.

Test For Echo

loyatemu wrote: »

it was to reduce to littering (which was a major problem - people don't just throw them into the wind, but they do fall out of bins, get left lying around etc) and to reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill.

Its a tax designed to reduce consumption - it has absolutely worked in this regard, the vast majority of supermarket shoppers now bring their own bags with them.

Agreed. I rarely see people asking for plastic bags in shops these days. But why the price increase though if the deterrent is working as is?

rubadub

Oryx wrote: »

But it does sound to me like this tax is getting further from its original 'deterrent' reason, and becoming more now an accepted additional form of taxation revenue. Its like all taxes, they bring it in small, and rack it up once you get used to it.

I have not gotten used to it since I think I have only paid for 2-3 bags since it came in. I wouldn't mind seeing it being a fiver! I was refusing bags long before they costed anything, and I refuse the "free" paper bags now too.

When bags were "free" people would toss old bags in the bin no problem, and not reuse, it was not just illegal dumping, there was "legal dumping" and it costs money to get rid of it in the long run. Now that people DO put a value on bags they are far more likely to reuse. We have a large collection of great "bags for life" in my house, of various sizes. I have a backpack, far more comfortable.

If you view it as a tax it is an easily avoidable tax.

pity the checkout operators who are going to bare the brunt of this.

Test For Echo wrote: »

Agreed. I rarely see people asking for plastic bags in shops these days. But why the price increase though if the deterrent is working as is?

I see lots still using bags, many snakes of course wait until the CC transaction is done hoping the teller will not ask them to pay. This is unfair on shops and staff, a higher price like this will make them appear not as stingy asking for money for bags since it will cost quite a lot. If I was a teller I would like the new charge for this reason.

I hope they make a fortune from this, otherwise they will probably increase "unavoidable taxes" even more, I like to avoid my taxes if I have the choice.

dh0661

A sign at the till in my local greengrocers, they give the smaller carrier bag foc, IF YOU REQUIRE A BAG PLEASE ASK - IT'S NOT MEAN, IT'S GREEN.

They also have all sizes of box's available - with these they ask you to return and fill them again.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

congo_90

triple-M wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0924/bags.html

they introduced it at 15c then they increased it to 22c to discourage people even more from using bags now its just becoming a revenue generator as far as im concerned ,I work in retail and I work occasionally on checkouts and im readying myself for a major backlash from customers and rightly so ,im really peed off with this

So use a resusable bag.
Nobody forces you to buy a plastic bag. While paying a few cent for something may annoy some I think it's still a good idea. Always was and is.

Typical attitude here where if the prices go up on anything its "the robbing government" :rolleyes:

As others have said. Don't buy it therefore don't be taxed!

I put in bold something for you to see in case it's missed.

the groutch

according to these new reports, the levy has generated €120m over 7 years
if you work it out that's 100 million bags a year, and that doesn't include the ones that aren't charged for
so the increase is definitely needed, as we should be looking to get it down to about 20 million or less

eth0_

triple-M wrote: »

http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0924/bags.html

they introduced it at 15c then they increased it to 22c to discourage people even more from using bags now its just becoming a revenue generator as far as im concerned ,I work in retail and I work occasionally on checkouts and im readying myself for a major backlash from customers and rightly so ,im really peed off with this

This isn't a rip-off, it's fantastic.

jimmyendless

Mostly the green party has only come up with green taxes as opposed to reforms. The whole renewable energy area where we could harness great amounts of energy and with a relatively small population we should be doing much better. Instead we are laying a line across the Irish sea to import even more energy.

Make the bags a euro sure, I don't use them and no one has any excuse to. I forgot sometimes but just throw it in the trolley.

GerardKeating

Test For Echo wrote: »

Agreed. I rarely see people asking for plastic bags in shops these days. But why the price increase though if the deterrent is working as is?

Well, if the price is a deterrent, a higher price will be more of a deterrent.

mcwhirter

I always use my sainsburys bags, all free from newry:)

w00t

mcaul wrote: »

Considering that all of the revenue from this goes into anti-littering initiatives, I can't see it being a rip off.

Also, its dreadfully easy to avoid the charge.

I've become lazy and don't always take bags with me - this will certainly make me ensure I always have bags with me.

Does it go towards anti littering? I heard it just went into the general coffers? If someone could educate me I'd appreciate it

It is a good tax either way (though I do hope it goes towards some Environmental initiative) With a bit of luck at 44 cents we should see less people buying them! A win for recycling.

musky

Slightly off topic but relevant ( i think).

Aldi sell beige cotton reusable bags (for i think 69c)

They are machine washable and small enough that you can put then in your coat pocket (empty) without having a huge bulge there.

They hold approximately the same amount as the regular plastic bags,they are definitely stronger and I would think they would last much longer.

Perhaps other supermarket will be offering these soon.

cantenaccio

w00t wrote: »

It is a good tax either way (though I do hope it goes towards some Environmental initiative) With a bit of luck at 44 cents we should see less people buying them! A win for recycling.

It's nothing to do with recycling.In Germany a plastic bag from the supermarket costs 9c and is better quality plastic than the crappy Irish ones,you get free plastic bags everywhere else.My city has 5 million people and the streets are spotless,whereas Ireland as usual uses excuses such as "recycling" to jack up prices,ditto alcohol policy

rubadub

cantenaccio wrote: »

It's nothing to do with recycling.In Germany a plastic bag from the supermarket costs 9c and is better quality plastic than the crappy Irish ones,you get free plastic bags everywhere else.My city has 5 million people and the streets are spotless,whereas Ireland as usual uses excuses such as "recycling" to jack up prices,ditto alcohol policy

Germany is just generally more sensible! I remember seeing people obeying the traffic lights when no cars were around at all, I was about to cross but stopped, it was a weird eerie feeling, didn't know what would happen if I did cross.

It is more about re-using than recycling, and proper binning of stuff. If chocolate bars were wrapped in €5 notes there would be none on the ground. People associate a value with them and do not waste them when they could be resused. Give people stuff "free" and they squander it, like people overuse water since they view it as being "free".

soc

eth0_ wrote: »

This isn't a rip-off, it's fantastic.

Ahhhh.. no it's NOT.

I actually found out today, that not only are the price of 'plastic' bags going up, but that 'bags for life' have also been increased. If this price increase is supposed to be an incentive for people to purchase and use reusable bags, rather than plastic, then why increase the reusable bag price?

I'm not sure if anything from the price charged for 'bags for life' bags actually goes to the government, but either way the price increase for 'plastic' bags has set a example for prices of reusable bags to also go up. For example, Tesco's reusable bags have gone from being priced at 35c to 65c :eek:

maroongael

I think people have become complacent about the plastic bag levy. An increase in the price will refocus shoppers.
Its just a habit you get into either bringing the bag or box shopping or not doing so.

idunno78

they should at leat have chanaged it to 40 or 45c its awful hard get the 2c of people at moment and i bet people will just give 40c when ig goes up!! Good law i guess but really annoyin workin in a shop where ya get the head ate of ya for it been 22c and its been like this for ages, its gonna be a bich when it goes up to 44c....

rubadub

soc wrote: »

I actually found out today, that not only are the price of 'plastic' bags going up, but that 'bags for life' have also been increased. If this price increase is supposed to be an incentive for people to purchase and use reusable bags, rather than plastic, then why increase the reusable bag price?

I'm not sure if anything from the price charged for 'bags for life' bags actually goes to the government, but either way the price increase for 'plastic' bags has set a example for prices of reusable bags to also go up. For example, Tesco's reusable bags have gone from being priced at 35c to 65c :eek:

Reusable bags below 70c are subject to the law.
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2001/en/si/0605.html

5. The following classes of plastic bags are excepted from the definition of a plastic bag -
(e) plastic bags designed for re-use, which are used to contain goods or products and which are sold to customers for a sum of not less than 70 cent each.

idunno78 wrote: »

they should at leat have chanaged it to 40 or 45c its awful hard get the 2c of people at moment and i bet people will just give 40c when ig goes up!! Good law i guess but really annoyin workin in a shop where ya get the head ate of ya for it been 22c and its been like this for ages, its gonna be a bich when it goes up to 44c....

This is only an issue when you have stingy arseholes who wait until they have paid for stuff and THEN ask for a bag, in the hope not to be charged. There is no real reason to need 44c in exact change unless you are buying just the bag, otherwise your price depends on the cost of all your goods, so I don't see it as much of an issue if you ask them before hand if they want a bag, or are most items priced in 5c intervals? Should have been 50c or a euro all the same though.

craichoe

cantenaccio wrote: »

It's nothing to do with recycling.In Germany a plastic bag from the supermarket costs 9c and is better quality plastic than the crappy Irish ones,you get free plastic bags everywhere else.My city has 5 million people and the streets are spotless,whereas Ireland as usual uses excuses such as "recycling" to jack up prices,ditto alcohol policy

Ugh .. the bags from Plus, Aldi and Lidl are the same as the ones they have in Tesco/Dunnes/Supervalu (I live in Nordrhein Westfalen)

I had to pay 22c a bag last Wednesday.

The reason Germany is so clean is they tax the absolute b*llocks of you to pay for public services.

I think your mistaken about the 5 million people thing also, as Berlin is the largest City in Germany and only has a population of 3.4 Million.

In my experience the Dutch are the worst at recycling.

sceptre

craichoe wrote: »

I think your mistaken about the 5 million people thing also, as Berlin is the largest City in Germany and only has a population of 3.4 Million.

I'm stretching it a bit to fit the crime but while Berlin has an urban population of 3.4 million, it has a metropolitan population of 5. So does Munich, though Hamburg's metro population is only 4.3. Frankfurt's metro population is even bigger. Either way a lot of people and it depends where you stop counting them I guess:)