Plastic bags: Should we tax the sacks?

By Dorothy Pellett, The Burlington Free Press, Nov. 29, 2009

What flutters ghost-like from tree limbs, clogs storm drains and plugs the stomachs of sea turtles — OR keeps your library books dry in a storm and stashes your excess zucchini to be hung on a neighbor’s door? Plastic bags can be like a helpful household servant with an evil twin, their usefulness unquestioned but their damage to the environment occurring silently.

Taxing, banning, reusing or simply cutting down on their use — all are solutions up for debate as Vermont environmentalists search for the best solution, and the Legislature is poised to consider bag-tax measures in the upcoming session.

A bill before the House Ways and Means Committee would charge consumers 17 cents for each lightweight plastic bag they take home. State Rep. Johannah Leddy Donovan, D-Burlington, was the lead sponsor among 19 legislators on the bill, which was introduced last session.

“The 17-cent amount seemed significant enough to catch the attention of shoppers,” she said this month. “If we are going to change behavior, we must have a tax that is going to be meaningful.”

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