At this point, it is so routine for almost everyone. You walk into the store, buy some eggs, milk, cereal, and whatever else you need. As you are line to pay for your groceries, two people greet you. A friendly person asks you how your day is and rings up your food, while sending it down a conveyor belt to the bagger at the end. This bagger stuffs your food into 3-4 translucent plastic bags, and you are on your way. You’ll probably throw away the bag within 12 minutes of using it (ConservingNow). All around the world, everyone is going through the same routine, and together, our world throws away up to 1 trillion plastic bags in a year (ConservingNow). These bags end up literally everywhere. In landfills, yes, but also in our public …show more content…
As previous programs around the country have clearly displayed, the plastic bag fee reduces litter and begins to push away from our economic dependence on single-use plastics. You can’t argue with results from cities like DC, New York, Austin, and the entire state of California (National Conference of State Legislature). As a result of the lower amount of plastic bags in our environment, public spaces and waterways will be cleaner in and around Columbus. That public space and waterway quality jump will also help the reputation of our city. According to some studies, Columbus is the 69th greenest city in America (WalletHub.com). This bag fee would push us even further up and help residents develop a sense of pride in our city.Another benefit, which sets this solution apart from others, is the impact it has on the stores that the fee affects. If the policy is implemented, stores will gain 4 extra cents from every bag used. If you look at the fact that plastic bags only cost about 1 cent to produce in today’s world, stores will be earning 3 cents in pure profit (New York Times). This adds incentive for businesses to stay in Columbus, and will keep the potential inconvenience for the stores at a