As Italy, one of the top users of plastic shopping bags in Europe, bans plastic bags from January 1, 2011, FIE has called on the Minister to make good on his commitment to implement the recommendations of its 2009 Regulatory Impact Analysis which showed that ‘The existing legislation is too limited to allow the levy to perform as a fully effective economic instrument'.

Plastic bag usage fell from 1.3 billion bags to 20 million bags a year after the levy was introduced in 2002. The levy was increased in 2007 from 13 cent to 20 cent but usage continues to rise. Ireland now uses 140 million bags a year, yielding over 20 million euro for the Environment fund.

FIE has renewed its call to the Minister to include in the terms of reference of future waste reviews the ‘displacement effect' by which the use of plastic bags has been replaced by paper bags. Consideration of the impact of paper bags was specifically excluded from the terms of reference of the Government's Analysis.

Life Cycle Analysis has shown that paper bags they have significantly more damaging environmental impacts in a number of key areas. ‘The throw away culture that supports single use carrier bags of any kind is environmentally and economically unsound - a cost borne by both the consumer and the environment. There is no cost to the shopper who responsibly uses reusable bags.'

Press Release    |    Media coverage of paper bag tax   |   Minister's letter

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As Dunne's Stores are given leave by the High Court to seek to quash the assessment of the plastic bag levy claimed for the accounting periods from July 2004 to June 2008, FIE has called the Minister's attention to the failure of the Regulatory Impact Analysis [RIA] undertaken by the Department of the Environment on the levy in 2008. Not only does the RIA exclude consideration of paper bags in its terms of reference (even though they are worse for the environment in many key aspects).

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Successful legislation in Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are part of a wave of more than 30 bag taxes have been proposed across American cities in the past year. The need for the extension of the levy is particularly acute in Ireland as the plastic carrier bag has been displacied by an almost equal number of damaging paper carrier bags. Reusable bags only, please - and a rebate to the retailer from the levy as these take longer to pack than plastic bags.

Read the Press Release | The letter to the Minister | The Scottish Study  |

The Sunday Times 'Think Tank' piece  |   Radio interview with Gareth O'Callahan on 4FM

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FIE has called on John Gormley to extend the plastic bag level to paper carrier bags in the interest of scientific integrity as well as environmental protection.

International studies that show that paper carrier bags should be included in any plastic bag levy as paper bags have a greater adverse impact than a plastic bag for a number of the environmental issues.

Read the Letter   |  the Scottish scientific study  |   and our Press Release | and the COMMENTS that re flying in!

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As an awareness raising initiative and in influencing behavioral change by consumers, the introduction of a plastic bag levy in 2003 has been an unprecedented success. It has achieved what the European Commission has often stated is that most difficult of objects - to change individual's behavior.

Prior to the introduction of the levy it is estimated that over 1.2 billion plastic bags were given out annually in Ireland - roughly 328 bags per capita per year. When the levy was introduced in 2002 this fell to 21 bags per capita.

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