Economists have a saying: The right answer is rarely all or nothing. Case in point: Brookline banning plastic bags altogether because of a small uncovered cost of non-biodegradability (“The bag wars,” Ideas, Nov. 25). Instead of a ban, the optimal solution to the paper vs. plastic debate is for Brookline to tax retailers perhaps a penny on each plastic bag, and then spend that money on conservation measures.
Retailers wouldn’t pass the tax on to consumers, since they would still prefer that consumers select plastic bags over the more costly paper bags.
Comments
The cost of plastic bags is small PER BAG, but it is not small overall, and the costs cannot be offset by unspecified conservation measures at the local level. This economist proposes a "solution" that he is certain would not change anything in the real world. Economics without geography is no guide to environmental problems.