City Tax on Single Use Bags Proposed

Three UA students took their concern for single-use plastic bags to the Tuscaloosa City Council last night. The students, representing a campus class on community engagement, presented a proposal to the Tuscaloosa City Council to institute a five-cent tax on all single use plastic bags. Addison Phelps, Mia Dreiling, and Nathan Wallace made the proposal as a result of concern for climate change.

The students told the council the problem is not just in Tuscaloosa but worldwide. They delivered a PowerPoint presentation in which they presented statistics linking the use of plastic bags with negative environmental impacts.

Mia Dreiling pointed out that Americans use more that 100 billion single-use plastic bags each year and that they end up polluting waterways as well as releasing fossil fuel emissions and microplastics in the environment. She added that experts estimate $2.5 trillion in revenue is lost annually due to marine plastic pollution.

Wallace suggested their proposed tax on plastic bags could serve as a "nudge" to influence consumer choices. He claimed that more than 200 municipalities have restricted plastic bag use.

In advocating for the five cent per bag tax within the City of Tuscaloosa, the three claimed scholarly work supports the positive impact of such as tax.

To back up their proposal, the three stated they have collected over 150 signatures in a week on a petition

Addison Phelps emphasized the biodiversity of the Tuscaloosa area and the entire state and how climate change is wreaking havoc on the state, including waterways such as the Black Warrior River.

Wallace emphasized how a five center per single use plastic bag could generate revenue for the city as well as encourage alternative bagging. He suggested the revenue could be utilized by community organizations, such as parks and recreation or donated to activist groups like the Black Warrior Riverkeeper.

The presentation highlighted how plastic bags are not accepted at the Tuscaloosa Recycling Facility along with a number of other items.

Mayor Maddox thanked the three for their presentation and their concern for the environment. He also advised them the city used to recycle plastic bags, and it probably was one of the leading recycled items. However, in 2023, a change in requirements made recycling the bags unaffordable. He voiced hope that one day the market would make recycling certain items like the bags viable again.

No action on the tax proposal was taken by the council.