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What Is the Disposable Plastic Bag Tax?
The Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 11 (SB11) in 2020 that allowed local governments to vote on and implement a disposable plastic bag tax (here's the ordinance). The Virginia Dept. of Taxation's final guidelines say the tax applies to grocery stores, convenience stores, or pharmacies. It’s not all plastic bags, but it’s a good start. It will remind people to change their behavior.
So far, only Roanoke has imposed the Plastic Bag Tax, but several other Virginia jurisdictions are considering the tax. In the first year after imposing a bag tax, the District of Columbia saw a 50-70% reduction in the use of plastic bags. Chicago, with a 7-cent per bag tax, saw a 42% reduction in plastic bags used in the first month of their ban.
Why Is a Plastic Bag Tax Important?
Single use plastic bags are bad for a whole host of reasons: they take an enormous amount of fossil fuels to produce — resulting in more planet-warming greenhouse gases, and are used for only an average of 12 minutes before being thrown away or littered. They often end up in our waterways where they turn into microplastics and are eaten by wildlife, or cause toxic air pollution if incinerated. Single use plastic bags are the third most littered item in Virginia waterways. According to the EPA, only about 10% of plastic bags are recycled.
What Happens to Money Raised by the Bag Tax?
Virginia’s law states the tax money raised will go towards environmental cleanup or environmental education, plus provide reusable bags for low-income people. It’s a nice way of having polluters fund environmental projects.
Fairfax County Can Be a Leader by Reducing Use of Plastic Bags.
Please take a few minutes to send an email to your Supervisor NOW! We’ve made it easy for you to take action.
What Is the Disposable Plastic Bag Tax?
The Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 11 (SB11) in 2020 that allowed local governments to vote on and implement a disposable plastic bag tax (here's the ordinance). The Virginia Dept. of Taxation's final guidelines say the tax applies to grocery stores, convenience stores, or pharmacies. It’s not all plastic bags, but it’s a good start. It will remind people to change their behavior.
So far, only Roanoke has imposed the Plastic Bag Tax, but several other Virginia jurisdictions are considering the tax. In the first year after imposing a bag tax, the District of Columbia saw a 50-70% reduction in the use of plastic bags. Chicago, with a 7-cent per bag tax, saw a 42% reduction in plastic bags used in the first month of their ban.
Why Is a Plastic Bag Tax Important?
Single use plastic bags are bad for a whole host of reasons: they take an enormous amount of fossil fuels to produce — resulting in more planet-warming greenhouse gases, and are used for only an average of 12 minutes before being thrown away or littered. They often end up in our waterways where they turn into microplastics and are eaten by wildlife, or cause toxic air pollution if incinerated. Single use plastic bags are the third most littered item in Virginia waterways. According to the EPA, only about 10% of plastic bags are recycled.
What Happens to Money Raised by the Bag Tax?
Virginia’s law states the tax money raised will go towards environmental cleanup or environmental education, plus provide reusable bags for low-income people. It’s a nice way of having polluters fund environmental projects.
Fairfax County Can Be a Leader by Reducing Use of Plastic Bags.
Please take a few minutes to send an email to your Supervisor NOW! We’ve made it easy for you to take action.
Send an email to Fairfax County Chairman Jeff McKay at chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov