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Montgomery County expanding plastic bag ban starting Jan. 1
Montgomery County's plastic bag ban is expanding come Jan. 1. If it sounds familiar, it's actually a revamp of a previous program that didn't work. The "Bring Your Own Bag" law was passed early this year. It repeals the 5-cent tax on plastic bags and implements a ban on plastic carry-out bags in Montgomery County.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - Montgomery County's plastic bag ban is expanding starting on Jan. 1. If it sounds familiar, it's actually a revamp of a previous program that didn't work.
The "Bring Your Own Bag" law was passed early this year. It repeals the 5-cent tax on plastic bags and implements a ban on plastic carry-out bags in Montgomery County.
The price of paper bags is also doubling from five to 10 cents.
Big picture view:
The lead sponsor of the bill is Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart. The purpose of the bill is to "advance protections for environmental and human health", the measure states.
"We know a lot more every day about the issue of micro plastics and impact on public health and the more we can reduce plastic in our everyday lives the better off we will all be," Stewart said.
Stewart introduced the bill in February and it passed unanimously. She says the council realized they were a bit behind other jurisdictions in Maryland when it came to bag bans.
The goal here is not just to reduce waste but also help protect waterways in Montgomery County.
Dig deeper:
The county has been charging five cents for both paper and plastic bags since 2012. Now, of the new ten-cent paper bag fee, five cents will go to the retailers to cover the cost of the bags.
The rest will go to the county for the stormwater management fee and water conservation efforts.
What they're saying:
Shoppers who spoke with FOX 5 said it makes sense.
"Yeah, even back home in my country, nobody uses plastics because of the way they endanger the ecosystem," one shopper said.
"It’s a good idea. We can't do it ourselves. It's important to have someone do it for us," said another.
"I think it's a good idea, I try to remember to bring them, it's better for the environment," another shopper told FOX 5.
The exceptions:
The ban does include bags used for takeout at restaurants.
And there are other exceptions, like plastic bags at the pharmacy, for produce or meat and dry cleaning.