Have you noticed that the global green wave of anti-plastic-shopping-bags rhetoric and legislation is waning?

For instance, Bulgaria is postponing plans to levy a tax on plastic shopping bags, based on fears that the tax would burden businesses too much during the global financial crisis [see full report from Reuters].

China, the first and only country with a nationwide ban on ultra-thin bags and a nationwide mandate for retailers to charge consumers for shopping bags, is also showing signs of more lax enforcement. The central government appears to be concentrating on other priorities -- like measures to sustain economic growth, such as the adjustment of tariffs on imports and tax rebates on exports.

Here in North America, progress is still being made -- New York state recently adopted a law that mandates recycling of plastic bags at large stores. But the recession and gloomy outlook is holding up some localities from embarking on the bag tax. For instance, Santa Clara county in California (source: press release) decided earlier this month to postpone its vote on a new tax of 25 cents for every shopping bag. The reasoning seems to be that raising tax during a severe economic downturn discourages businesses and the public.

At this moment, the U.K is still going ahead with its bag reduction efforts. Seven large supermarkets in the nation have pledged to the government that they will halve the use of plastic shopping bags by spring 2009, through such methods as charging customers for single-use plastic bags or giving them extra loyalty points for bringing their own. But bag taxes will be reconsidered if retailers fail to fulfill their ambitious pledge.