Ireland was the first nation to tax plastic bags as a way to stop them from littering the countryside. Now the Emerald Isle plans to double its levy to a punitive $0.71 (44 euro cents) per bag.
The seven year-old policy has already generated more than $192 (€120 million) and sharply reduced Irish reliance on throwaway bags–once running at 1.2 billion per year, or more than 300 for every man, woman and child.
The Department of the Environment announced Thursday that the charge will be doubled to ensure a “sufficient deterrent” to shoppers who arrive at checkout counters with no shopping bags of their own.
