Support the “Better Bag Bill” to reduce plastic bag pollution and incentivize reuse!
The Prince George’s County Council is considering a bill that would dramatically reduce litter from plastic carryout bags and increase the use of reusable bags or no bag across the County. CB-32-2023, the “Better Bag Bill”, prohibits retailers from providing plastic carryout bags at the point of sale, and requires retailers to charge and retain at least 10 cents for alternative carryout bags. The objective of the charge for paper and other carryout bags is to incentivize customers to bring their own bag. The charge is retained by retailers to pay for paper or other carryout bags. Shoppers who bring their own bag or don’t take a bag would not have to purchase a carryout bag.
This “hybrid” bill combining a plastic bag ban and a charge for other bags has been found highly effective in reducing plastic carryout bag use and changing shopper behavior in favor of reusable bags. As of the fall of 2019, despite a decade of public education on reducing plastic bag use and distribution of countless reusable bags, only 6% of County grocery shoppers at stores that provided “free” bags at checkout were using a reusable bag; 88% were using single-use plastic bags. At grocery chains that don’t offer plastic bags and charge for other bags, more than 90% of shoppers bring a reusable bag or don’t take a bag.
The Better Bag Bill is sponsored by Council members Dernoga (District 1), Blegay (District 6), and Olson (District 3). It passed out of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy, and Environment Committee with a unanimous vote of the five members on April 13th and is expected to have a public hearing and final Council vote in May. It would go into effect on January 1, 2024.
In passing the Better Bag Bill, Prince George’s County would join other local jurisdictions in Maryland that have banned plastic carryout bags and incentivized reuse – College Park, Easton, Salisbury, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County. A similar bill is under consideration in Anne Arundel County. The City of Laurel banned plastic carryout bags in 2022, leading to an explosion in paper bag use. It is considering updating that ordinance to include the incentive for reusable bags.