Plastic bags are getting a bad rap globally; from Asia to Africa to Europe and North America, shoppers are being forced by bans to BYOB (bring your own bag.) But Ireland’s managed to convince consumers to switch to reusable bags without instigating a ban, as the New York Times reports today:

In 2002, Ireland passed a tax on plastic bags; customers who want them must now pay 33 cents per bag at the register. There was an advertising awareness campaign. And then something happened that was bigger than the sum of these parts.

Within weeks, plastic bag use dropped 94 percent. Within a year, nearly everyone had bought reusable cloth bags, keeping them in offices and in the backs of cars. Plastic bags were not outlawed, but carrying them became socially unacceptable ” on a par with wearing a fur coat or not cleaning up after one’s dog.

Plastic bag-buyers who find themselves subjected to scowls from more sustainably-minded citizens can console themselves with the knowledge that the 33 cent tax goes to the government to fund environmental enforcement and cleanup programs.

Learn more about the problems created by plastic shopping bags and find alternatives at reusablebags.com.