New Year’s Day will mean no plastic bags for shoppers in and around Prince George’s County, Maryland, as a new law takes effect.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, Prince George’s County’s ban on plastic bags will replace plastic bag use in retailers with paper and reusable bags in an effort to “protect local waterways and marine life, reduce plastic pollution and litter, and promote reusable bags,” a release said.
“Plastic bags do not biodegrade and contaminate our local waterways, causing harm to marine life, clogging our storm drains, and littering our streets and communities. This ban encourages consumers to reduce waste and addresses one of the County’s Climate Action Plan recommendations, an important step in maintaining a sustainable County and reducing our carbon footprint,” Andrea Crooms, director of the county’s Department of the Environment, said in an August news release.
However, if citizens or businesses aren’t ready for the transition, the county has taken steps to ease the initial cost of the ban.
“To assist residents in making the transition, the county will provide a limited amount of free reusable bags and will announce distribution dates and locations once finalized,” the statement said.
The county also said the ban will not limit plastic bags used to pack bulk items, wrap frozen foods, wrap plants, hold prepared or baked goods, protect dry cleaning or similar clothes and take live animals — fish, insects, mollusks or crustaceans — home after retail purchase.
Likewise, Prince George’s County won’t tack on the 10-cent bag tax for those picking up prescriptions from a pharmacy, grabbing food at a drive-through or carrying leftovers out of a restaurant.
The Department of the Environment is supposed to oversee enforcement of this new law, with violations — giving one or more plastic carryout bags at a time or not charging the 10-cent bag tax — generating a “civil penalty not exceeding $500.”
Businesses that aren’t ready to transition just yet will have three months to get acclimated before any fines are doled out.
“During the first 90 days of implementation, the county will provide a three-month grace period to businesses before imposing any citations with monetary penalties,” the county said.
Prince George’s County Council members passed the Better Bag Bill to ban plastic bags in May. That same bill allows for paper bag use in retail stores with a 10-cent fee.
The city of Frederick, Maryland, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County also have set bans that will take effect on Monday. A previous effort to ban plastic bag use statewide beginning in 2022 failed to take effect, leaving individual counties and cities to craft and implement their own bills.
