7 Cents

A Couple Weekends Ago:

Cashier: Would you like a bag today?

Me: No, thank you.  I'll use my backpack.

Cashier:  Save the 7 cents.

Me:  And the environment.

Cashier: People seem to care more about the 7 cents.

Me:  Not me.

February 1st Chicago put a 7 cent tax in place for plastic bags and somehow it seems to be working!  Last year I was excited about a plastic bag ban and then a loophole slid in for stores to have even thicker bags that "people would reuse."  Spoiler: no one reused them.  And it was terrible.

So as February 1st approached I refused to get my hopes up.

Then I started to notice people bringing in bags or just saying they'd carry their stuff and skip the bag.  

I don't think I will come to understand how in other people's minds 7 cents is terrible and the thicker bags weren't.  Regardless I'm glad it's working.

P.S. Would you like to know more about terrible plastics?  Read here.