A Tipping Point in Washington DC

So, I know I am a bit behind, but I finally read The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I enjoyed the book and it made me think about my own experience and observations of tipping points. Recently a new law came into affect in Washington DC that caused a change in my behavior – and that of many other residents. It was a tipping point.

To tell this story I need to begin by relaying the history of my behavior in regards to shopping bags…

When I was a graduate student I always brought my own reusable bags when I shopped at Whole Foods Market. While I believe strongly in conservation and recycling, that was not my true motivation for bringing my own bags to this store. And, I did not bring my own bags when I shopped at Trader Joe’s or any other grocery store or market. Just to Whole Foods. Why? I was motivated to bring my own reusable shopping bags to Whole Foods because they would give me a five cent credit (or donate five cents to charity) for every reusable bag I brought with me. As a graduate student that small reward – just five cents per bag – changed my behavior in that circumstance. That five cents credit was my tipping point.

After I graduated I started forgetting to bring my bags to Whole Foods. When I did remember I normally requested the charity donation instead of the five cent credit. The five cent credit was no longer compelling. My tipping point had changed.

But, let me get to my main topic – the new law in Washington DC that relates to shopping bags – the DC Bag Tax. In January 2010, the District of Columbia imposed a new tax that required businesses which sell food or alcohol to charge customers five cents for each disposable paper or plastic bag they used. The inspiration behind this new tax is wonderful; the majority of the revenue from the tax will go to the Anacostia River Protection Fund to help clean up the river.

Prior to the bag tax being instated 22.5 million bags were being issued every month in Washington DC. Now, if that rate remained the same this new tax would raise over $1 million per month. But, this tax was expected alter some people’s behavior and the District government estimated the bag tax would bring in approximately $10 million in the first four years of its existence (an average of $208,333 per month).The District government created a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the new tax and encourage a change in behavior (Skip the bag, Save the River).

It worked, the new bag tax has changed people's behavior more than expected. Of course, the first person’s behavior I noticed, of course, was my own. I immediately began bringing my reusable bags again to shop – to all stores. I began carrying a reusable bag in my purse. Where a five cent credit did not motivate me – the idea of having to pay five cents did. So, again my tipping point was five cents . It also changed other people’s behavior. In January 2010, the bag tax revenue was just under $150,000. That is a decrease of over 80% in the number of bags issued per month! Five cents must be a tipping point for a lot of people in DC. Of course, these are only the results of one month. Time will tell if five cents is enough to change people’s behavior long term.


Note: All facts and figures quoted above are from WashingtonPost.com or the District of Columbia government's Skip the Bag, Save the River campaign website.