Energy & Environment Lab Chicago's 7-Cents-A-Bag Tax Driving Down Bag Use Study Says

Chicago Sun-Times / April 21, 2017
By Fran Spielman

Chicago’s 7-cents-a-bag tax on paper and plastic bags is driving consumer behavior in the right direction to reduce landfill costs: Both the number of disposable bags used and the number of shoppers willing to pay for them is way down.

Before Feb. 1, Chicago shoppers used an average of 2.3 disposable bags every time they went to a major grocery store.

In the first month after shoppers started paying 7-cents-a-bag for the privilege, the number of disposable bags used declined by roughly one bag-per-shopping trip, a 42 percent decrease.

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21 April 2017