Prince George's County passes a “Better Bag Bill” to reduce plastic bag pollution and incentivize reuse!
Camp Springs
Photo: Terry Stakem
On June 20, 2023 The Prince George’s County Council passed the “Better Bag Bill”, which will dramatically reduce litter from plastic carryout bags and increase the use of reusable bags or no bag across the County. CB-32-2023 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 or not take a 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 will not have to purchase a carryout bag. The bill’s provisions will go into effect on January 1, 2024.
This “hybrid” bill combining a plastic carryout bag ban and a charge for other carryout 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. Read more.
Single-use Food Service Ware only “On Request” in PGC as of June 1, 2023!
Are you frustrated with all of the unwanted single-use utensils, condiments, and other stuff thrown in your takeout, drive-through, and home delivery food orders? On June 1st, 2023, a new County bill, CB-14-2022, goes into effect, requiring food service businesses to provide straws, utensils, condiment cups and packets, cup sleeves, splash sticks, stirrers, and napkins only if requested by the customer or at a self-service dispenser. The program will reduce waste, litter, and costs to restaurants. Read more
Municipalities can compost food scraps too!
Prince George’s County is expanding residential curbside composting in unincorporated areas, but what about people who live in municipalities? Not to worry. You and your municipality also have options – backyard composting, drop-off collection points for food scraps, or municipal curbside food scrap collection. Learn more about these options by viewing two webinars, sponsored by the Prince George’s Sierra Club and Sustainable Maryland.
(1) Roundtable on Food Scrap Options for Municipalities, December 2, 2021:You’ll hear about the environmental and financial benefits from diverting food scraps, local providers of composting services, and the experience of several municipalities that have already set up programs.You’ll hear about the environmental and financial benefits from diverting food scraps, local providers of recycling services, and the experience of several municipalities that have already set up programs. Speakers included representatives from Backyardcompost.com, The Compost Crew, Prince George’s County Department of the Environment, College Park, and Greenbelt.
- View the Video
- Compostable waste in the Brown Station Road Landfill
- Presentation by Janet McCaslin, Sustainability Coordinator, College Park
- Contact the speakers
- Websites
(2) Municipal Curbside Food Scrap Collection Experience in Prince George's County, May 11, 2022
For a deeper dive into curbside food scrap collection, this panel discussion features speakers from three Prince George’s municipalities that already offer curbside food scrap collection their residents. Speakers include: Lesley Riddle, Director of Public Works, Hyattsville; Mickey Beall, Director of Public Works, University Park; and Ashleigh Diaz, Sustainability Planner, Bowie.
- View the Video
- Presentation by Ashleigh Diaz, Sustainability Planner, Bowie
- Contact the speakers
- Websites
Take a virtual tour of the Prince George's County Recycling Facility!
Ever wonder where your curbside recyclables go and where they end up? Take a virtual tour of the Prince George's County single-stream Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Capitol Heights! Get updates on what can be recycled at the MRF, how new optical scanner will change operations, and recent developments in the recycling markets. Read More
Prince George’s County’s ban on straws and stirrers that are not home-compostable took effect July 1st, 2020!
County residents use an estimated 1.36 million straws/day. Most are single-use plastic straws, which are not recyclable and are thrown in the trash or littered in our beaches, streets, parks, and waterways. Plastic straws are among the top 10 items collected in beach cleanups. Whether made from petroleum- or plant-based polymers, they do not decompose in the natural environment, but break into ever smaller pieces, polluting the water and harming marine life. The small plastic particles stay in the environment for centuries or more, and work their way up our food chain. Read More
Help us spread the word! Print out the County's flyer for businesses to share the next time you encounter a business still using plastic straws! Download our flyer. For more information, go to the County’s Straw Ban Website.
Prince George's Sierra Club weighs in on the County's Draft 2020-2029 Solid Waste Management Plan
- Monitoring of and reduction of methane emissions from the County landfill;
- Commitment to diversion of organic waste from the landfill via expanded curbside food scrap collection and better access to community composting;
- Adoption of a detailed, time-bound, cost-effective, measurable, participatory, and innovative Zero Waste Plan.
Field trips energize Prince George’s Group’s “Zero Waste” campaign
More than three dozen Prince George’s activists participated in field trips to the county landfill, the single-stream recycling center, and the yard waste and pilot composting facility to learn about waste reduction efforts. What did they take away? Read More
Caption: A tractor spreads trash at the Prince George’s landfill in Upper Marlboro.
Credit: Tom Wachs
Key Prince George's County documents on Waste
Important County Government links