Earlier this fall, Maine State Representative Ted Koffman (D-Bar Harbor) proposed a bill which would place a fee on single use plastic bags in Maine.\u00a0 A democrat from Bar Harbor and co-chair of the Natural Resources Committee of Maine, Representative Koffman is asking Maine to take leadership in the \u2018Bring Your Own Bag\u2019 movement.\u00a0 But it seems Maine isn\u2019t ready \u2013 or at least not in this legislative session.\u00a0 The upcoming short session is reserved primarily for \u2018emergency\u2019 bills, so Maine\u2019s lawmakers decided not to bring it forward.\u00a0\u00a0 Representative Koffman, however, is still working with grocery chains, the Maine Grocer\u2019s Association, nonprofit groups and entrepreneurs to continue the push toward reusable bags.<\/p>\n
Representative Koffman\u2019s plan was loosely based on the \u2018Plas Tax\u2019 which began in Ireland in 2002.\u00a0 Ireland\u2019s action was driven by an effort to control litter — and resulted in a bill that required retailers to charge a tax (equivalent to 33 cents US) for each plastic bag used by shoppers.\u00a0 Ireland also ran an awareness campaign encouraging people to bring their own bag.\u00a0 In a matter of months, 90% of shoppers in Ireland had transitioned to reusable bags.\u00a0 The tax has proven to be wildly successful, as 5 years later nearly everyone is on board \u2013 to the point that there is a stigma associated with plastic bag use.<\/p>\n