After making a second semester visit to CVS, AU freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences Claire Stapleton said her initial reaction to being told she would be charged five cents for every plastic shopping bag included a few phases.
First, Stapleton reacted with confusion. Why did she have to pay for plastic bags? Confusion was followed by irritation as she attempted to carry loose items out of the store, fumbling shampoo bottles, a gallon of milk, and other dorm essentials.
As of Jan. 1, the D.C. government and the Anacostia River Protection Fund started the “Skip the Bag, Save the River” campaign to encourage residents and students to cut down on disposable bag use through taxation. If shoppers choose to carry items out in paper or plastic, they must “contribute” 5 cents for every bag used, according to the D.C. government’s Web site.
While Stapleton thinks the bag tax is inconvenient, she also understands the importance in helping the environment, she said.
“Personally, I think it is a nuisance more than anything. I’m all for saving the environment but it simply comes down to changing our habits and remembering to bring a bag every time we go shopping,” Stapleton said.
The manager of CVS, who said she was not at liberty to disclose her name or answer questions, said she saw a drastic change in the amount that people buy and how often they shop. Few were willing to give in to the 5-cent tax, she said.
On the AU shuttle, Stapleton said she was not the only student holding a selection of items in her lap. Many held an assortment of grocery items and essentials, including CAS freshman Daniel Goldman, who said he believes the tax to be a bit ridiculous.
“I think we should be able to carry our food in bags at our convenience. I shouldn’t have to remember to bring a canvas bag every time I want to buy something,” Goldman said.
Drew Veysey, environmental policy adviser to Student Government President Andy MacCracken, said he believes the tax makes real behavioral differences.
“It shows how well something like this works; it reincorporates some responsibility,” Veysey said. “People are not even paying for the entire cost of the bag when they pay the five cents, and it is one-one hundredth of the cost the plastic bag has on the environment and society.”
The United States is not the only country doing this, Veysey said.
“Many other countries tax their plastic bags in hopes to have the same positive results we’ve seen here,” he said.
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