Plastic Bag Fees

Many jurisdictions around Canada and the United States are struggling with how they will manage their solid waste. One of the biggest targets of many municipalities has been the ubiquitous plastic shopping bag. 

In this clip Toronto based sustainability consultant, and former leader of the Green Party of Canada, Jim Harris, talks about how economics is a far more powerful motivator in changing human bahaviour than guilt or moral suasion. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/leading-thinkers/corpo...

If you have bag fees in your community, have results mimicked the Toronto experience? Do you feel that governments passing laws and regulations concerning these types of issues are an intrusion on free enterprise, or do they ensure a level playing field where everyone has to abide by the same rules?

Either way, I would agree with Jim's assessment that money is the main motivator. When we cut subsidies, or price finite resources properly, society is motivated to accept change through innovation. We might not like it, but we change our behaviour in order to ensure we maintain or achieve a competitive advantage.