Are fast food joints liable for litter clean up costs?

[Duty Honor Country]

This story comes from Oakland, CA. It seems the city is on its way to impose a measure "which would impose fees on all restaurants and stores that serve takeout food or beverages" to cover the cost of city clean up. The city says 40% of the street trash comes from places that serve take out food. The tax would be anywhere from $280-3200 depending on the profits of the store.

Is this fair to businesses? Are businesses responsible for their trash even after its sold to the customer?

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2006-02-06-litter-tax_x.htm

 

[Chief Bones]

Great balls of fire - another tax?

Doody
Ya left an option out - ya forgot a choice for both the businesses and customers to share the cost.

Part of the problem is that we live in a disposable society and one of the byproducts of that society are the mountains and mountains of trash that are generated every single day. Why shouldn't there be a special 'usage' fee for the disposal of trash that comes from fast food joints that end up littering our landscape - after all, the estimates are that somewhere between %30-%40 of all trash which has to be picked up on our public highways, byways and streets have as their origin a fast food joint.

I'll grant you that these food establishments now fill a key part of our society that we would be hard pressed to do without, but that fact does not obviate the real problem of how can we expect to have a clean environment when thousands and thousands of tons of refuse are cast adrift in our communities by thoughtless people every day.

One possible answer would be to have businesses pay a one time usage fee for the use of these disposable containers (trash) and customers could have a point-of-sale fee charged against every disposable container (trash) that makes up their order. That money could then be used to pay for the trash cleanup.

:sorry: UNDERSTAND - I personally am NOT in favor of anymore taxes - but, if we are talking about the best way to defray cleanup costs, this is one possible option.

 

[tomtom22]

Another option needed

I agree with Chief Bones, the idea for both the business and the consumer to pay sounds right to me. Something must be done to help cities and towns pay for this mess.

 

[bulldogg]

Bones you are a scholar and a gentleman and I concur with your thoughts.

 

[Ted]

Or you could use repeated offenders who have to do their community services. Everybody sees them, which they don't like and the streets are cleaner at a cheap price.

 

[Marinerhodes]

I think it should fall on the people that litter. Just about any place a traveler stops for gas, convenience store items, at home etc etc is a chance to put trash in a trash can.

There should be no tax or useage fees on the business for providing an acceptable container for their food. If that is the case then we need to start charging fees to any and all companies that can possibly contribute to litter. No one is compelled to litter. They do it because they don't care. I highly doubt a tax ,or useage fee, or anything other than steep fines when caught will induce a person to be more conscientious about littering.