Maryland’s Montgomery County joins Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties in adopting a bill that imposes a county-wide ban on nearly all plastic bags at retailers.
The “Bring Your Own Bag” bill passed unanimously by the 11-member Montgomery County Council on Tuesday afternoon.
Council President Kate Stewart smiled broadly as she introduced the bill for a final vote.
“I’m so glad we’re here today, I feel like I’ve been talking about this bill for quite a while,” Stewart told colleagues.
The bill, once signed into law by Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, will ban plastic bags at retailers, with some exceptions. Plastic bags would be permitted during the sale of prescription drugs, perishable items like meats and at dry cleaning businesses.
Other exceptions to the plastic bag ban would be in cases where customers are buying goods via benefits offered through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Paper bags would still be allowed, but the tax on paper bags would jump from 5 cents to a dime. The bag tax would not be charged for paper bags at fast-food outlets, food delivery businesses or when restaurant leftovers are packed up for customers.
An amendment to the bill was made during proceedings. The bill will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, instead of July 1 of this year. The change was made to allow time for businesses and the public to become familiar with the change.
At the conclusion of Tuesday’s vote, Stewart held up a bag provided by the county’s Department of Environmental Protection. “They are in English and Spanish and they say, ‘A plastic bag is such a drag.'”
The new bags, made of recycled cotton, will be made available free of charge at community events.
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