Bag tax to hit fast food?

[micko]

The Oireachtas Environment Committee is thinking about bringing in a similar levy on fast food packaging as the plastic bag tax in Ireland.

It says that since the introduction of the tax earlier this year, about one billion plastic bags have been removed from circulation, a 92% drop in the numbers of plakky bags, which is a pretty amazing change.

If the fast food tax meant half as much rubbish in front of my front door, I'd be all for it, but it's not clear how it would cut down on rubbish. It's not as if people are going to come into McDonalds with their own cups, chip boxes etc...

[4ofUs]

why oh why doesn't the rest of the world adopt the plastic bag tax?

maybe when it comes to McDonalds you'll no longer be hearing 'would you like fries with that' but 'would you like a paper wrapper for that' instead. :D

[Nexus6]

Fair enough, but what about an extra 50c on every package of chewing gum to pay for getting it off the damm paths. Nearly every path in Dublin is polka dot with this crap. It is so difficult for knackers who do this to just put it in a bin????

[Bin]

Absolutely - chewing gum should be targetted. Wasn't it Frank McDonald who was going on about the new millennium bridge getting a 'rubberised' surface?

Another few cent should be slapped onto the fags for the same reason.

[micko]

But why would doubling the price of a packet of Wrigleys make the people who fuck it onto the pavement suddenly become litter conscious?

No, just fine them. Jail sentences for first-time offenders etc.

[Pete]

Originally posted by Nexus6
It is so difficult for knackers who do this to just put it in a bin????

It is because they are ignorant fuckers. Littering is a pet hate of mine. I'm forever berating my brother-in-law for throwing stuff out the car window or on the ground. I only have to say one thing and he'll pick it up (if he can): "That's a great example you're setting for your kid."

[Genghis]

Wouldn't it be interesting to apply a sort of 'supplier pays' approach to litter. Each year an audit of litter collected is conducted, and where identifiable, companies who supply this litter will be charged a proportionate fee for its collection in the following year. The fast food companies would be culprits certainly, but so too would be the confectionary companies, the alcohol and soft drinks companies. I suppose the counter argument might be that they would just charge the cost on, but equally they might become more waste conscious. If the results were published, they certainly would be.

The plastic bag levy showed that there was never any real need for the bag in 99% of cases. If you go in to McDs or whatever and ask for a cheeseburger, not only will you be given the wrapper, they will also give you a tray liner or bag, neither of which you need. Going through a drive-thru is even worse. They have little plastic bags prepared with every piece of waste you might need - 16 napkins, 5 salts, a four-drink cardboard holder.

[birdbath]

The british are considering introdcuing the plastic bag levy as we speak. A rare example of them actually copying an irish idea... he he.

[Amergin]

I have long being asking why producers don't have to pay for non-recyclable packaging. Most of the rubbish from my gaf (We recycle all paper, cardboard, glass, cans and plastic. We live in an apartment so we cannot compost the food waste.) is made up of food waste and things like milk cartons, celophane wrappers or the trays that some veg come on. I have no option with these. I have to bin them. The producer has an option. They have the option of using different packaging. I will be charged for my rubbish but they are not charged for providing me with this non-recyclable rubbish.

Is it my fault for choosing their product? Should they not be pressured into providing some recyclable packaging?

[ImGoingMad]

My pet hate is the growing trend for individually wrapping everything. Particularly with Washing powder. Take for example, Persil tablets. It's a pain in the arse to take them out of their wrapping and then fiddle them into that stupid little bag thingy. What was so difficult about pouring powder/liquid straight into the tray of the washing machine??? Plus it creates lots of unnecessary waste.

[birdbath]

IMG

it's called 'Marketing'

[ImGoingMad]

Originally posted by birdbath
IMG

it's called 'Marketing'

I've got a marketing idea for them... why not go back to basics hailing it as an environmentally friendly and less hassle option. They'd increase their profit margin and make themselves look like an environmentally conscious company into the bargain!

[Lanod]

Does anyone know if the new biodegradable plastic that Centra (I think) were using for their bags can be used in drinks bottles?

In Galway we seriously need to re-introduce the deposit on bottles, well bottles of Buckfast. They are fucking everywhere. I don't have a problem with crusties drinking buckie, it's them using my garden as a bin that pisses me off.

[Maurice Hickey]

Originally posted by Amergin
IShould they not be pressured into providing some recyclable packaging?

Not while we have Repak, an utter joke of a system. We joined purely because of ISO 14001. If you join Repak and pay your annual few quid, you have no further responsibility for your packaging waste. We have our Repak sign up in Reception and it states "........Ltd. is therefore not required to accept packaging waste at this premises" It's a step in the right direction, but I don't see it having a massive impact

[Tipsy Mac]

I always assumed the reason that the Bag Tax was brought in was to reduce the amount of plastic bags going to a landfill site where they would remain intact for thousands of years. Surely there is little point in introducing this for Fast Food goods as they are mainly paper based and are almost all recyclable. It would serve better to impose large fines for litter louts who disgard the packaging on the street if the aim of this is to prevent littering. I think this is more a money generating exercise then anything else and has little to do with any environmental policy. People will still litter if they are paying an extra 50c or not for their take aways, the fact that they are not reusable means they are of no use when they visit again, unlike the plastic bags. If this is introduced it will punish those who litter and those who recycle.

[magicbastarder]

afaik, the most environmentally friendly plastic in terms of degrading is cellophane, but it is quite environmentally unfriendly to produce.

[Fallen Angel]

I can't stand littering. It makes me so fucking mad.

[metalmickey]

On the chewing gum point, we should just ban it as they did in Singapore.

My 2c.

[Nexus6]

Originally posted by Tipsy Mac
People will still litter if they are paying an extra 50c or not for their take aways

This is true. But all those extra 50c's can be used to mabye clean up this open festering landfill that is Dublin City. And we should start handing out community service orders to litter bugs. Make them clean up the shit and they might think twice about doing it in future.

[micko]

Originally posted by birdbath
The british are considering introdcuing the plastic bag levy as we speak. A rare example of them actually copying an irish idea... he he.

Which we copied from other countries. Hungary had a plastic bag tax at least 10 years ago...

[krayZpaving]

if we could catch the litterers in the first place it would help.

what about the judge who threw a littering case out of court because the litter warden couldn't produce the litter in question during the case. the litter, of course, being dog shite. :rolleyes:

[Amergin]

I saw a fat slapper chucking a crisp bag on the ground about 3 feet from a bin.

"You dropped something" I said.

"Fuck off" she replied.

I wandered on chuckling to myself knowing that while she had littered my street I had ruined her cheery mood, the fat cunt.

To me the litter problem is like the traffic problem. Those who litter don't see themselves as part of the problem, just as those who drive when they could be taking the bus don't see themselves as part of the traffic problem. Of course there are also just scumbags who litter out of arrogance or ignorance.

[TheFunkeyGibbon]

I belive England is going to introduce a £50 fine for dropping chewing gum... of course you gotta catch the fuckers first... :rolleyes:

[Drifter2]

Shirt packaging is another one. There's more packaging than shirt - cardboard base, tissue paper, cardboard insert under the collar, plastic insert under the collar, various clips and pins. A shirt shouldn't need ANY packaging for god's sake. Just display the damn thing on a hanger.

[Tipsy Mac]

I think the issue here is if we want to stop people littering we need on the spot fines, if we want to employ an army of council workers to clean up the streets after we litter then we need the taxes from fast food sales. I think the littering fines are a far better use of resources, prevention is better then the cure.

[Jeff Eire]

I have to own up and admit that I was one of those fuckers that spat his gum on the pavement . . I used to spit it down towards my shoe and then solo it. ..then kick it on the volley aiming for the bin but never got it. . .dont do it anymore though as I teach my son to put litter in the bin and I would have the "Im a Hypocritical cunt" tag on my conscience. .

Having said that I won "Litter Warden of the Year" when I was 9 so yee cant give me abuse . . .:D

[king ink]

drifter .. regards packaging in shops .. if possible i take the stuff out of the package and leave it in the shop .. let them deal with it .. this approach is very popular in germany .. with people dumping all the excess packaging in the shops (as they have to pay by weight for rubbish removal),... this would put pressure on the manufacturers to have less packaging