Aug 8 - Plastic Bag Fee Reduces Quebec Bag Usage by Over 50%
A recent government study in Quebec revealed that the five cent charge per shopping bag reduced bag usage by 52 percent.
In 2007, 2.2 billion bags were being distributed annually. By 2010, that number had decreased to 1 billion.
Although the Environmental Prime Minister Pierre Arcand reportedly told media that the drop in bags was due to the public's increasing environmental awareness and not attributable to the bag charge, we disagree.
Single-use bag charges have repeatedly and effectively reduced bag distribution. In DC a five cent per bag charge dropped bag distribution from 22.5 million a month to 3.3 million a month.
Plastic bag bans coupled with a paper bag charge are even more effective. LA County's ordinance has resulted in a 94% decrease of all single-use bags.