Citing a drop in plastic bag use over the last few years, Fairfax County, Virginia, leaders said the plastic bag tax is encouraging residents to change their behavior.
There was a 5% drop in plastic bag usage during January to July 2024 versus the same period in 2023, Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay said in a recent newsletter. That follows a 2.5% drop in plastic bag use over that same period from 2022 to 2023.
Fairfax County’s plastic bag tax went into effect Jan. 1, 2022. Under the local ordinance, there’s a 5-cent tax on plastic bags that are given to customers at grocery, convenience and drug stores. Some D.C.-area localities, such as Montgomery County, Maryland, have adopted a similar tax and are exploring further options. Others, like Prince George’s County, Maryland, have passed outright bans.
“The long and short of it is that the plastic bag tax is working in the way that we hoped it would work,” Fairfax County Supervisor James Walkinshaw said at a recent county environmental committee meeting. “We were very clear that our goal wasn’t to raise revenue, although the revenue has been put to really good use, helping to fund Operation Stream Shield and community cleanups around the county.”
From January 2022 to July 2024, the county tax has generated over $6 million in revenue, according to board documents. Some of that funding has been used for Operation Stream Shield, a program that provides part-time and temporary work to people experiencing homelessness. Money has also been allocated for the illegal sign removal program, which removes illegal signs within VDOT rights of way, providing for a “litter-free, clean and safe environment along county roadways,” according to county documents.
McKay said as a result of the tax, there are 3 million fewer plastic bags in circulation.
“That is a huge number,” McKay said. “We know it’s going to grow exponentially as we move forward. Wherever those bags end up, they’re not good for our environment. Whether they’re being picked up by Clean Fairfax or whether they’re being thrown away at someone’s house, they’re not good for the environment.”
Fairfax County’s board of supervisors voted 9-1 to adopt the plastic bag ordinance on Sept. 14, 2020.
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