A 7-cent bag tax was supposed to discourage the use of plastic bags. Six years later, it has turned into a cash cow for the city, generating $50 million since its been in effect. Activists say it's time to rethink this policy.
Trashion Revolution will feature designs made from plastic pollution, like the two pictured above. "I am just blown away by the designs," said Jordan Parker. Photos provided by the designers. View all sponsors
“In terms of padding city coffers, it’s been a huge success,” Jordan Parker said of the tax. In terms of reducing plastic consumption, not so much. Parker, as founder of the grassroots environmental movement Bring Your Bag Chicago, was one of the driving forces behind the tax. The fee, she said, was never meant to be a revenue generator. It was supposed to be a deterrent and a way of encouraging the adoption of reusable bags.
There are myriad reasons behind what she would term a failed policy, from the tax being too low to a lack of emphasis on the fee at the point of checkout — the difference between being asked, “Do you need a bag?” and “Do you want to pay 7 cents for a bag?”The COVID-19 pandemic also set back momentum, she said, not just on reusable bags but practices like people bringing their own mugs to coffee shops.in early March 2020, before stay-at-home orders were even issued.
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