Trillions of plastic bags are made each year using millions of gallons of oil. The end result is mostly garbage. Once though of as a way to help keep forest from being cut down, the plastic bag is now one of the most common forms of pollution. We reported before on the little town of Leaf Rapids that banned the bag, well it seems that they have started a trend that a lot of people are following.

San Francisco did it, now it looks like the Australian state of Victoria and Hong Kong are going to give it a shot too.

If they are not outright banning the bag, they are adding a ten cent per bag charge that is hoped to discourage people from buying them. Many places in Europe are leading the charge to ban the tiny plastic demons. With Wales, Ireland, and Britain moving towards a ban, or a hefty price per bag to lower consumption.

Countries making headway

• Since Denmark introduced a packaging tax in 1994, consumption of paper and plastic bags has declined by 66 per cent.
• In October 2001, Taiwan introduced a ban on distribution of free single-use plastic bags by government agencies, schools, and the military. In 2003, the ban was extended to include supermarkets, fast-food outlets, and department stores. Customers must now pay T$1 to T$2 (30 to 60 cents) for a bag.
• The Irish government says that a tax on plastic bags, introduced in 2002, has cut their use there by more than 95 per cent. The ‘plas tax’ has also raised millions of euros, to be used for environmental projects.
• Bangladesh slapped an outright ban on all polythene bags in 2002 after they were found to have been the main culprit during the 1988 and 1998 floods that submerged two-thirds of the country. Discarded bags had choked the country’s drainage systems.
  In 2006, Hong Kong began a voluntary drive to reduce plastic-bag use. Since then, supermarkets have handed out 80 million fewer plastic bags.
• The English town of Modbury became the first plastic-bag free town in Europe after all 43 of its independent retailers committed to banning the bag.

(via)