Environment McDonald's Japan starts charging for plastic bags

Sadly, this is only a local field test in Nagasaki. And why charge 5 JPY and not 50-100 JPY?

McDonald's Japan has announced that it will start charging JPY 5 for plastic bags at 23 of its stores in Nagasaki Prefecture beginning in April. The goal is to reduce plastic usage and promote decarbonization. The company, which operates over 40,000 stores globally, including 3,000 in Japan, plans to assess customer response and the impact of the fee before potentially expanding it nationwide. Additionally, McDonald's Japan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its stores and offices by 50.4% by 2030, compared to 2018. As of the end of 2023, they had already achieved a 16.1% reduction in emissions.

The new sustainability drive encompasses a multifaceted strategy, including the adoption of renewable energy sources and energy-efficient technologies like solar panels and energy-saving air conditioners in stores and offices. McDonald's Japan also plans to ramp up its use of renewable electricity, potentially through corporate power purchase agreements and installing state-of-the-art quick chargers for the latest electric vehicle models in its parking lots. Local initiatives are also on the agenda, with select Tokyo stores participating in a paper cup recycling experiment, and 23 stores in Saitama Prefecture transitioning to new McFlurry packaging to minimize plastic consumption.

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A $0.07 USD bag tax here, in Chicago, has resulted in a huge reduction of plastic bag use. A lot of places now have heavier-duty plastic bags, paper bags, or cloth bags available and many people use them. It doesn't seem to take a lot of extra cost to change someone's mind on them.

Petaris said:

A $0.07 USD bag tax here, in Chicago, has resulted in a huge reduction of plastic bag use. A lot of places now have heavier-duty plastic bags, paper bags, or cloth bags available and many people use them. It doesn't seem to take a lot of extra cost to change someone's mind on them.

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Same in Boston. Honestly, the most tragic aspect of this story is that it's just one company implementing this. But I guess you have to start somewhere.