Irish tax on shopping bags nets 3.5 million euros
Date: 22-Aug-02
Country: IRELAND
Ireland's move to introduce a 15-cent surcharge on every plastic bag dispensed by shops is being closely watched by other countries, with authorities in Britain and the United States expressing interest in copying the scheme.
"This levy has been an outstanding success in achieving what it set out to do," said Environment Minister Martin Cullen.
"The reduction in the use of disposable plastic shopping bags has been immediate and the positive visual impact on the environment is plain to see."
The government said the use of plastic bags had fallen by more than 90 percent since the levy was introduced in March to encourage the use of sturdy, reusable shopping carriers and remove the eyesore of wind-blown plastic bags clogging drains and flapping from hedgerows.
It had estimated that the Irish Republic's 3.9 million people were using 1.2 billion plastic bags each year.