NYU study finds 30% decrease in use of disposable bags since the city of Chicago implemented a seven-cent tax on them.
On February 1st of this year, Chicago implemented a seven-cent tax on plastic bags. According to an NYU study, that tax has already had an impact. The study compared bag consumption in months before the tax to the months just after it was implemented and found a sharp decline.
"The average number of disposable bags used per shopping trip decreased by roughly one bag per trip—over a 40 percent decrease. Additionally, less than 50 percent of customers in Chicago used any disposable bags after the tax was implemented—a decrease of more than 30 percentage points," Rachel Dovey reports for Next City.
FULL STORY: Chicago Sees Big Shift in Grocery Shopping Habit
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