real results

Earlier this week method Twittered this article titled "Did D.C.'s bag tax work?" and the results are mind-blowing!

"Yes, it did.

The District's 5-cent bag tax generated about $150,000 during January to help clean up the Anacostia River, even though residents have dramatically scaled back their use of disposable bags, according to a report city officials issued Monday.

In its first assessment of how the new law is working, the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue estimated that food and grocery establishments gave out about 3 million bags in January. Before the bag tax took effect Jan. 1, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer had said that about 22.5 million bags were being issued each month in 2009.

That's an 82 percent reduction in the number of plastic bags and $150,000 for the city. Hopefully this'll encourage Santa Barbara and other wavering cities."

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Did you get that? In one month they generated $150,000 for the city to use for (hopefully) eco-cleanup! And they went from giving out 22.5 million bags (and this is one city! That's the thing, imagine HOW many bags are given out each year when D.C. alone gives out 22.5 million!? That's freakin' insane) to 3 million bags.

And their reduction in the number of plastic bags given was: 82%. EIGHTY. TWO. PERCENT. That my friends, is what you call RESULTS. Seriously, I'm shocked. Imagine if every city did this? In fact, every state.

Screw the plastic bag industry. I hate that people might lose their jobs (I genuinely do.) But I've also had it up to the tip-top of my head with industries plodding forward like nothing's wrong cause "that's how they've always done it, and until there is a rule put into place we'll just do what we've always done Hell or high water - for better or worse." Sick of it. It's time companies, corporations, and industries were responsible for what they do and create! Something you'll be hearing much more about here on method lust, trust me.

82%. How about my hometown of Greensboro, NC tries this out. I mean, we are freakin' called GREENSboro. Maybe it's about time we started acting like it...