Residents of Montgomery County are divided over a proposed plastic bag ban and a new paper bag tax
Rockville: So, there’s this big discussion happening in Montgomery County about banning plastic bags and adding a 10-cent tax on paper bags. It all kicked off after a report from the county’s Inspector General pointed out that the current 5-cent bag tax isn’t really working.
Since they started that 5-cent tax back in 2012, it hasn’t done much to cut down on bag use. In fact, the report says that the county lost over $8 million because of poor enforcement. Yikes! Plastic bag use is still on the rise.
Now, the County Council is thinking about going all out and banning plastic bags completely. They also want to raise the paper bag tax to 10 cents to push folks toward reusable bags instead.
But not everyone is on board. Some people, like anti-tax activist Robin Ficker, are worried this will hit shoppers hard in the wallet. Others are scratching their heads over how to handle exemptions for people who rely on food assistance.
On the flip side, supporters are all about the environmental benefits. They’re pointing to some pretty shocking numbers—like nearly 294 million plastic bags being tossed out in the county this year alone. One resident even mentioned how bags are littering the streets and waterways, especially after storms. Plus, there’s growing concern about the health risks from micro-plastics.
It’s worth noting that neighboring areas like Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties have already put similar bans in place. The Montgomery County Council is set to discuss this proposal further in February.
