Politics & Government

Reusable Bags Used to Spread Word About New Fee

Shoppers at Safeway in King Farm grabbed complimentary bags on Day 3 of the 'bag tax.'

Volunteers distributed complimentary reusable bags to shoppers at grocery stores around Montgomery County on Tuesday, the third day of the county's new 5-cent bag fee.

At the in Rockville's King Farm neighborhood, Samuel Bland, sales and accounts manager for , and Laurie Jenkins, supervisor of outdoor environmental education with Montgomery County Public Schools, handed out reusable bags to shoppers.

Most showed gratitude and enthusiasm for the free bags, if not for the 5-cent per bag fee, which began appearing as an add-on to shopping receipts on New Year's Day.

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"Some say 'We're going to get this repealed,'" Bland said. "Others say 'This is great. We won't have to see bags in trees.'"

A 2008-2009 study found that the majority of the 121 tons of litter from Montgomery County tributaries in the Anacostia River watershed was plastic bags, according to a county website.

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Satya Reddy, of Gaithersburg, gladly accepted a free bag.

"It's a good idea," Reddy said, adding that the reusable bag was a more sanitary alternative than reusing store-issued plastic bags.

Jenkins said she and her husband have been taking reusable bags to the store with them for the past year.

"We try to practice what we preach," she said.

Jenkins said her husband is partial to an oversized blue bag from IKEA furniture stores.

"You can fit a boat in there," she said.

, who proposed the tax in March, .

The County Council , despite criticism that the tax is regressive and is an added burden at a time of rising food prices.

Bag manufacturers and recycling companies also opposed the tax, which was modeled after, but is more comprehensive than, a similar tax in Washington, D.C.

Mark Daniels, vice president of Sustainability & Environmental Policy for Hilex Poly, an American manufacturer of plastic bags made from recycled materials and operator of the world’s largest closed loop plastic bag recycling facility, released a statement saying that reusable bags aren't environmentally friendly.

“In the midst of an unstable economy, this tax will have an immediate negative impact on the wallets of Montgomery County shoppers and, ironically, the environment," Daniels said in the statement. "Counties interested in real solutions to reducing litter and protecting the environment should pursue scientifically sound policies—specifically comprehensive recycling programs that address all forms of plastic bags, sacks and wraps. Policies that move consumers away from plastic bags only push people to less environmentally friendly options such as reusable bags, which are not recyclable and are made predominately [sic] in China.”

Customers will still be able to recycle plastic bags at stores, according to the county's website.


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