CONTACT: Lesley Paredes; Lesley.paredes-hernandez@sierraclub.org, 240-424-0976
Montgomery County, MD – A recent survey conducted by the Maryland Sierra Club points to major progress in reducing the use of single-use plastic carryout bags and incentivizing shoppers to bring their own bag or not take one. The survey was conducted at major grocery store chains in Montgomery County before and after the launch of the “Bring Your Own Bag” law in January 2026. Single-use plastic carryout bags are harmful to wildlife and break down into microplastics that are harmful to the environment and human health.
The “Bring Your Own Bag” law, County Bill 24-24, prohibits retailers from providing plastic carryout bags at the point of sale that are not reusable (as defined in the law), and raises the tax on paper carryout bags from 5¢ to 10¢. In municipalities that decline to ban single-use plastic carryout bags, the tax on both plastic and paper carryout bags is raised from 5¢ to 10¢. Shoppers paying with electronic benefits are exempt from the carryout bag tax.
Maryland Sierra Club volunteers recorded the carryout bag choices of shoppers exiting all of the stores in eight grocery chains in October 2025, before the law went into effect, and in May 2026, after it went into effect. A total of 67 stores and 8,810 shoppers were observed in the baseline survey and 68 stores and 9,013 shoppers in the follow-up survey.
All of Montgomery County, with the exception of the City of Gaithersburg, opted to ban plastic carryout bags and charge the 10-cent tax for paper carryout bags, to encourage shoppers to switch to reusable bags or no bag. The share of shoppers taking plastic carryout bags dropped from 50% to only 1% (Figure 1, next page). The share of shoppers taking reusable bags or no bag jumped from 49% to 72%, a major reduction in waste. However, the share of shoppers taking paper bags, with a tax of 10 cents each, rose from 1% to 27%. Anne Arundel and Prince George’s Counties have adopted similar legislation with equally impressive results.
Montgomery County Councilmember Kate Stewart, lead sponsor of the Bring Your Own Bag law, said, “The Sierra Club survey results show incredible progress and decisive action by county residents and retailers toward zero waste and residents bringing their own reusable bags. Thank you, Sierra Club members, including Martha Ainsworth, for your partnership and leadership in keeping our waterways and streets clean by working to enact our Bring Your Own Bag law banning single use plastic carryout bags in the county and aligning our fee with neighboring counties.”
In contrast, in the City of Gaithersburg, the impact of raising the tax on both plastic and paper carryout bags from 5 to 10 cents was minimal (Figure 2, next page). The share of shoppers using single-use plastic bags dropped only slightly, from 47% to 41%. The share taking paper bags remained below 1%, and the share taking a reusable bag or no bag rose from 53% to 59%.
Some stores (Wegmans, Aldi, Lidl) had already discontinued providing single-use carryout bags, but raised the paper bag tax to 10 cents. The impact of the Bring Your Own Bag law on shopper behavior at these chains was negligible, raising the share of shoppers taking no bag or a reusable bag by less than one percentage point. Sixty-seven percent of shoppers at Wegmans and 89% of shoppers at Aldi and Lidl brought their own bag or didn’t take one, in both the 2025 and 2026 surveys.
“These results document the effectiveness of policies that combine a ban on provision of single-use plastic carryout bags with a tax or charge for alternatives, which incentivize shoppers to bring their own bag or not take a carryout bag at all,” said Martha Ainsworth, Chair of the Zero Waste Team at the Maryland Sierra Club. “Plastic bags often end up in landfills, incinerators, littered, and in our waterways, contributing to the waste stream and microplastics in the environment. We hope the results of this survey will inspire local governments that have not yet adopted a “Bring Your Own Bag” law to adopt one.”
“This success demonstrates how thoughtful, science-based environmental policy can make a real, positive difference for our community,” said Darian Unger, Chair of the Montgomery County Sierra Club Executive Committee. “We hope it will be a model for other regions, too.”
About the survey
The October 2025 and May 2026 shopper surveys, organized by the Maryland Sierra Club, were conducted by 29 trained volunteer enumerators on weekends during peak hours (9am-6pm on Saturday, 11 am-6pm on Sunday) at all of the stores from eight grocery chains in Montgomery County (Aldi, Food Lion, Giant, Harris Teeter, Lidl, Safeway, Wegmans, and Weis Markets). Sixty-seven stores and 8,810 shoppers were observed in October 2025; 68 stores and 9,013 shoppers were observed in May 2026, after the new law went into effect.
The enumerators observed adult shoppers for one hour at each store exit, recording the types of bags (or no bag) used by each shopper. Bags carried by children were attributed to the adult they were with. There was no interaction between the enumerators and the shoppers. They also recorded whether the store had posted the required signage at the entrance or at checkout, whether it was offering plastic carryout bags at checkout, and the types of reusable bags available for purchase and their cost. For more information on the survey, contact Lesley.paredes-hernandez@sierraclub.org, 240-424-0976.
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