The 5p plastic bag charge was introduced a year ago in England, much to the confusion and frustration of many. Although it may have seemed like a ploy for the government to extort more cash from the public, it turned out to have an interesting effect on the environment. 90% of shoppers in England now prefer to use their own carrier bags, up from 70% before the plastic bag charge was introduced.
It appears that similar charges could apply in the future to continue to help the environment:
Plastic Bottles
Elena Sautkina, an expert in environmental psychology, claims that there is a “window of opportunity” to start charging for plastic bottles. Due to the public’s increasing sensitivity to plastic waste, there is a chance to further help save the environment. She surveyed members of the public before and after the introduction of the 5p bag charge, and the results demonstrated that the public were more in support for the charge than before. The statistics showed that there was a 4% increase in support for more charges to be put in place in England.
Coffee Cups
Recently, the public has shown increasing concern for the amount of coffee cup waste being generated. Unfortunately, most consumers assume that paper cups are an environmentally friendly choice when in fact coffee cup card is fused with polyethylene, and cannot be separated out in a recycling mill. However, charging for coffee cups may work in a similar fashion to plastic bags, if people began to bring in their own cups.
Plastic Forks and Knives
In France, plastic crockery and cutlery are set to be banned, unless it’s made from biologically sourced materials and can be recycled.
The law will be set in 2020, prompting other countries to take note of their strict policies on recycling.
