Italy joins a number of other countries and cities worldwide who have imposed fees or outright bans of plastic bags.

In March of 2002, Republic of Ireland became the first country to introduce a plastic bag fee and usage of dropped 94 per cent within weeks. China outlawed retailers from handing out plastic bags in June 2008. In March 2007 San Francisco became the first North American city to ban plastic bags, followed by the Manitoba community of Leaf Rapids in April of 2007.

Toronto was the first North American city to make shoppers pay for disposable plastic bags in June of 2009. Plastic bag use 70%.

But Toronto's new mayor, Rob Ford, is looking to scrap the successful Toronto bag fee. He claims people "can't stand" the bag fee.

"People have already voted [on the fee]," says Toronto councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker. "They voted with their reusable bags. They voted when within two weeks of this fee being passed, plastic bag usage dropped by 70%."

"I guess the moral of the story is it doesn't take a lot [to change consumer habits]," said Rod Muir of the Sierra Club.