There's a lot of misinformation swirling around, appearing in major media outlets and blogs worldwide. Here, we're addressing common myths about the PlasTax and answering some frequently-asked questions we've received from our customers about plastic bag fees. By providing no-nonsense rebuttals to common myths, we're providing the tools that empower you to take action on this urgent issue.

The Truth: Bag fees closely modeled after Ireland's PlasTax work.

The extremely successful – which reduced plastic bag consumption by more than 90% - has provided undeniable evidence that bag fees can effectively change consumer habits and dramatically reduce litter. Bottom line: bag fees like the PlasTax are proven, market-based solutionsto mindless over consumption.

Myth #1: Bag fees place a financial burden on people who can least afford it.

A bag fee is not a tax, but a user fee to discourage a behavior that has a negative effect (in this case, the use of plastic bags that cause pollution and deplete resources). If you do not use the plastic bags, you don’t pay the fee. You've probably heard the old saying, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Well, there's no such thing as a free bag, either. The annual cost to U.S. retailers alone is estimated at $4 billion, which is passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices on necessities. Production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas - valuable resources we're accustomed to paying a premium for.

Sound bag fee legislation, like that proposed in Seattle, incorporates measures for lower-income people, such as free bag programs or fee waivers. Efforts should also be made to reduce the cost to food banks.

Myth #2: Bag fees are just another way to fatten city coffers.

Wrong! Smart models like the PlasTax and direct funds from the fee to environmental programs and charge an amount significant enough to make consumers stop and think at the checkout (pinned at somewhere between $0.20 and a quarter). That's the problem with the tiny 5-cent fees that have been passing lately in places like D.C. and Toronto, which will draw millions in revenue for the cities but aren't high enough to change consumer behavior.

Myth #3: We don't have a plastic-bag litter problem.

The facts say otherwise. Even if you don't currently see a litter problem, it doesn't mean you don't have one - or won't in the future. A single bag takes up to 1,000 years to degrade, and if we continue consuming, they'll continue accumulating. Plus, plastic bags don't know jurisdictional boundaries - they are among the most commonly found debris in coastal areas.

Myth #4: We'll just buy plastic bags for all the things we currently use free ones for - like lining trash cans and picking up after our pets.

There are definitely some uses for plastic bags, but whether you pay for them at the register or by the box, you'll only buy as many as you need and not much more. We're not trying to eliminate a necessity (this is one of the reasons we oppose ), but we do think it's sensible to charge for the consumption of a resource that's .

Myth #5: We'll just have the same problem when everyone buys those cheap reusable bags.

Partly true. Cheap reusable bags do create a new version of the same old problem - an issue we've been calling attention to since those flimsy polypropylene bags flooded the market in an onslaught of green-washing. However, it's wrong to limit the debate to plastic v. cheap reusables. There are other options, including the win-win use of high-quality reusables made from durable, washable materials.

Myth #6: Recycling makes more sense than fees.

Recycling is definitely a good idea, but it doesn't get at the heart of the problem: over consumption. At the high end, only about 3 percent of plastic bags are recycled - which pales in comparison to the 90% reduction in consumption spurred by Ireland's PlasTax. The cost of processing and recycling a ton of plastic bags is 125 times greater than the value of the end materials - and that's when "recycled" bags actually get recycled. Since recycling doesn't yield enough return to cover the costs, there's a growing trend to ship bags to Third World countries, which are rapidly becoming dumping grounds for Western recyclables.

Myth #7: The PlasTax singles out plastic bags.

Flat-out false. This is another reason we so strongly support Seattle's bag tax. Like its predecessor, Ireland's PlasTax, the fee applies to both paper and plastic bags.

Myth #8: If people are really concerned about the environmental impact of plastic bags, they'd ban them.

Bag bans are an emotional response to an economic problem, and they are designed to fail - a key reason the plastic bag industry fights harder against fees than bans. Plastic bags themselves are not inherently evil - in fact, it's their practicality that led to the over consumption problem we now face. is an impractical, "quick fix" solution that doesn't hit at the heart of the problem: over consumption of all use-and-toss bags. Rather than inconveniencing consumers for the sake of a few snappy bag-ban sound bites, we support bag fees as market-based solutions that make consumers pay for the true/external costs associated with plastic bags.

Myth #9: Reusable bags are unsanitary, and this tax will make us all sick.

This one's so false, it's almost funny. There's nothing like a bit of common sense to cure what ails us. Wash your clothes, wash your towels, and while you're at it, wash your bags now and then. Durable, will withstand any necessary cleaning.

Myth #10: Bringing your own bag is inconvenient, expensive & uncool.

A few years after Ireland passed the PlasTax, the New York Times noted, "Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable." However, if you're replacing plastic with those bulky polypropylene bags emblazoned with cheesy logos, "inconvenient" and "uncool" may be fitting. Fortunately, there are many other out there that turn heads (in a good way) at the register. With about 3x more capacity and strength than a typical plastic bag, they actually make carting stuff around easier. Many of these reusable bags are available for under $5 - with regular use, they pay for themselves.