'Now you never see plastic'

Ireland instituted a 33 cent tax on plastic bags at stores, back in 2002. In the years since then, plastic bags have virtually disappeared. It helps that Ireland doesn't have a plastic bags industry. But it is still heartening to see that it is possible to get rid of them.

In 2002, Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags; customers who want them must now pay 33 cents per bag at the register. There was an advertising awareness campaign. And then something happened that was bigger than the sum of these parts.
Within weeks, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent. Within a year, nearly everyone had bought reusable cloth bags, keeping them in offices and in the backs of cars. Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable — on a par with wearing a fur coat or not cleaning up after one’s dog.

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