Worries over shoplifting after eco tax on plastic bags
The government recently declared war on plastic bags.
In the scheme of things, supermarket plastic bags are a small percentage of household refuse but are seen as a target to encourage consumers to reduce landfill and litter.
At many outlets, signs beside the counters state: "Sorry, but we have to charge you 18c for each plastic bag."
But this introduction has not only created some inconveniences to customers but seems to have also brought about a slight increase in shoplifting.
One easy way for supermarkets and other outlets to control shoplifting is to have shoppers enter their stores bag-less but how can one do that when there's a charge of €0.18 cents per plastic bag?
With growing numbers of customers approaching checkouts with an array of bags and at times even boxes, controlling shoplifting will require more vigilance and manpower. It's gone back to the times of our grandmothers, a caller told The Times. People could be seen carrying groceries in their hands or wrapped up in newspapers.
Some people have been noticed leaving certain outlets casually without paying at the counters.
A spokesman for Scotts chain of supermarkets said: "We have noticed a slight increase in shoplifting. We have caught people placing foodstuffs in their personal carriers and attempting to leave without paying or paying for half the items. Yes, the chances are greater where shoplifting is concerned with the introduction of the eco tax on plastic bags that was recently imposed on our customers."
Meanwhile, Smart supermarket director Joe Grech said that "the system we use, and have been using before the introduction of the tax on plastic bags, is that of either supplying carriers made out of material, which can also be done through a point system where the client redeems his/her points from the points gathered after every shopping spree, and change the points for material carrier bags or simply making customers pay for the plastic bags. No clients are allowed to enter with other bags, and trolleys are used to gather the items until they arrive at the counter".
Most clients are asking for carton boxes, which makes one think whether the introduction of the eco tax is making things worse for the environment.
There have also been reports that some shop owners are cutting off the plastic bag handles so customers seem as though they are carrying a bag which does not look like the run-of-the-mill plastic bag carrier, taking advantage of a loop-hole in the law.
A spokesman for the Arkadia chain of supermarkets said that the current situation has made it easier for shoplifters, however their security personnel monitor everything at all times.
"Clients have also entered with bags of our competitors," the spokesman said.
Factbox
What happened in Ireland after the introduction of an eco tax on plastic bags
In March 2002, Ireland instituted a tax on plastic bags tax in which retailers charged their customers €0.15 cents for every shopping bag purchased. Now, the Irish bag tax, which was supposedly passed in an effort to curb litter, has actually proved to be a disaster on several fronts.
Unfortunately, it was hailed by environmentalists and others and quickly spawned the consideration of similar legislation
by governments in Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa, and the US.
The four-year experience of Ireland's bag tax showed that the policy is not only worse for the environment, but causes other social problems as well:
• Where customers have been driven to use paper bags, it is now common for double or triple-bagging to take place to overcome the inferior strength of paper compared with plastic. This means, at least twice the numbers of paper bags are being used than plastic bags had been used. This leads to huge increases in the number of shipments and truckloads needed to transport paper bags.
• There is also clear evidence in Ireland of a switch to paper bag substitutes which consume eight times the raw material, three times the energy, create twice the levels of air pollution, waste 50 times as much process water, have six times the weight and 10 times the volume.
• The Irish bag tax has caused a switch to heavier, bulkier alternatives which will degrade or decompose to produce greenhouse gases.
• There is no evidence offered (unsurprisingly given the fact that plastic carrier bags are less than one per cent of litter) that litter has reduced in the Republic of Ireland since the introduction of a plastic bag tax.
• The Irish bag tax actually has invited more shoplifting to occur. Because plastic bags are normally only offered and used during or after payment has been received, it provides the most effective visual evidence of payment for goods. In Ireland, where customers were driven to bring their own shopping bags into stores, this has made the theft of goods from the shelf far easier as well as costing every small grocery shop in Ireland an average of €5,400 per annum in stolen and/or abandoned wire baskets and trolleys (metal containers).
At many outlets, signs beside the counters state: "Sorry, but we have to charge you 18c for each plastic bag."
But this introduction has not only created some inconveniences to customers but seems to have also brought about a slight increase in shoplifting.
One easy way for supermarkets and other outlets to control shoplifting is to have shoppers enter their stores bag-less but how can one do that when there's a charge of €0.18 cents per plastic bag?
With growing numbers of customers approaching checkouts with an array of bags and at times even boxes, controlling shoplifting will require more vigilance and manpower. It's gone back to the times of our grandmothers, a caller told The Times. People could be seen carrying groceries in their hands or wrapped up in newspapers.
Some people have been noticed leaving certain outlets casually without paying at the counters.
A spokesman for Scotts chain of supermarkets said: "We have noticed a slight increase in shoplifting. We have caught people placing foodstuffs in their personal carriers and attempting to leave without paying or paying for half the items. Yes, the chances are greater where shoplifting is concerned with the introduction of the eco tax on plastic bags that was recently imposed on our customers."
Meanwhile, Smart supermarket director Joe Grech said that "the system we use, and have been using before the introduction of the tax on plastic bags, is that of either supplying carriers made out of material, which can also be done through a point system where the client redeems his/her points from the points gathered after every shopping spree, and change the points for material carrier bags or simply making customers pay for the plastic bags. No clients are allowed to enter with other bags, and trolleys are used to gather the items until they arrive at the counter".
Most clients are asking for carton boxes, which makes one think whether the introduction of the eco tax is making things worse for the environment.
There have also been reports that some shop owners are cutting off the plastic bag handles so customers seem as though they are carrying a bag which does not look like the run-of-the-mill plastic bag carrier, taking advantage of a loop-hole in the law.
A spokesman for the Arkadia chain of supermarkets said that the current situation has made it easier for shoplifters, however their security personnel monitor everything at all times.
"Clients have also entered with bags of our competitors," the spokesman said.
Factbox
What happened in Ireland after the introduction of an eco tax on plastic bags
In March 2002, Ireland instituted a tax on plastic bags tax in which retailers charged their customers €0.15 cents for every shopping bag purchased. Now, the Irish bag tax, which was supposedly passed in an effort to curb litter, has actually proved to be a disaster on several fronts.
Unfortunately, it was hailed by environmentalists and others and quickly spawned the consideration of similar legislation
by governments in Australia, Bangladesh, South Africa, and the US.
The four-year experience of Ireland's bag tax showed that the policy is not only worse for the environment, but causes other social problems as well:
• Where customers have been driven to use paper bags, it is now common for double or triple-bagging to take place to overcome the inferior strength of paper compared with plastic. This means, at least twice the numbers of paper bags are being used than plastic bags had been used. This leads to huge increases in the number of shipments and truckloads needed to transport paper bags.
• There is also clear evidence in Ireland of a switch to paper bag substitutes which consume eight times the raw material, three times the energy, create twice the levels of air pollution, waste 50 times as much process water, have six times the weight and 10 times the volume.
• The Irish bag tax has caused a switch to heavier, bulkier alternatives which will degrade or decompose to produce greenhouse gases.
• There is no evidence offered (unsurprisingly given the fact that plastic carrier bags are less than one per cent of litter) that litter has reduced in the Republic of Ireland since the introduction of a plastic bag tax.
• The Irish bag tax actually has invited more shoplifting to occur. Because plastic bags are normally only offered and used during or after payment has been received, it provides the most effective visual evidence of payment for goods. In Ireland, where customers were driven to bring their own shopping bags into stores, this has made the theft of goods from the shelf far easier as well as costing every small grocery shop in Ireland an average of €5,400 per annum in stolen and/or abandoned wire baskets and trolleys (metal containers).