Q: Why are plastic bags so harmful to the environment?
A: Every year, Americans use nearly 100 billion plastic bags. Plastic damages the environment, as well as human and animal health, in many ways throughout its lifecycle. Because most plastics are made from oil, their production and decomposition generate greenhouse gas emissions that exacerbate climate change. Plastic production reduces air and water quality, negatively impacting human health in nearby communities. Additionally, most single-use plastics end up in landfills or as pollution in the environment, where they cause significant harm to marine animals that mistake plastic for food.
Q: Do plastic bags biodegrade?
A: Plastic can take hundreds of years to decompose. In the shorter term, it breaks down into increasingly smaller particles known as microplastics. These microplastics can be found in our environment, and humans now face exposure to microplastics through airborne dust, drinking water and seafood. Researchers are still trying to determine the health effects of ingesting microplastics.
Q: What about recycling plastic bags?
A: Only about 1% of plastic bags are properly recycled today. Many communities don’t accept plastic bags in curbside recycling because they jam and damage the sorting machinery. The plastic recycling rate is also affected by the price of oil. If oil prices are low, sourcing virgin plastic is more cost-effective for manufacturers than recycled plastic feedstock. As a result, most plastic bags end up in landfills, incinerated, or polluting the environment.
Q: What does the Virginia Senate Bill (SB) 11, which approved a plastic bag tax, allow cities and counties to do?
A: Beginning January 1, 2021, any county or city may impose a tax of $0.05 for each disposable plastic bag provided to a consumer in grocery stores, convenience stores, or drugstores. Retailers may retain $0.02 of the tax ($0.01 after Jan. 2023).
The tax excludes: (1) Durable plastic bags with handles that are specifically designed for reuse and that are at least four millimeters thick, (2) Plastic bags used to wrap, contain, or package ice cream, meat, fish, poultry, produce, unwrapped bulk food items, or perishable food items in order to avoid damage or contamination (3) Plastic bags used to carry dry cleaning or prescription drugs, and (4) Multiple plastic bags sold in packages and intended for use as garbage, pet waste, or leaf removal bags.
Remember, you can easily avoid this tax by simply bringing your own bags!
Q: Will this tax hurt low income individuals in our community more than others?
A: To offset the impact of this tax on lower income residents who lack access to reusable bags, a portion of the revenue in Virginia would go towards providing reusable bags to recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program benefits.
Lower income communities are more often plagued by litter and pollution than higher income communities, so this tax would help keep these communities clean.
Q: How will the revenues from the plastic bag tax be used?
A: In addition to providing reusable bags for recipients of SNAP and WIC benefits, cities and counties may use the additional revenue for environmental cleanup and educational efforts to reduce pollution.
Q: Why doesn’t Arlington County ban plastic bags?
A: Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, meaning local governments are limited to only the powers granted by the state legislature. While Arlington cannot introduce a plastic bag ban, it does have the authority to tax through SB11, passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor in the spring of 2020.
Q: How will the Plastic Bag Tax be passed in Arlington County?
A: First, a member of the Arlington County Board needs to propose that the ordinance be adopted. The proposed ordinance will be assigned to a committee to address these issues. The committee will meet with various stakeholders to work out the details of the ordinance. The proposed ordinance will usually move between various committees and the County Board until a final ordinance is ready to be proposed.
The County Board is then required to post notice of its intention to propose the ordinance for passage once a week for two successive weeks. After giving its required notice, the County Board may put the proposed ordinance up for a vote. It will be adopted upon a majority vote by the County Board. Public support or comments can, and should, be sent to Board Members throughout the process, especially to encourage them to propose the ordinance in the first place. Comments can also be made during Arlington County Board meetings. Signing our petition will let the County Board know you support the tax.
Q: Have plastic bag taxes been implemented in other parts of the country? Have they been successful?
A: Yes! At least 471 local ordinances have been adopted in cities and counties across 28 states nationwide. Washington, D.C. has a similar tax in place. Within three years of implementing the tax, 80% of D.C. residents were using less disposable bags, and more than three-quarters of businesses were providing fewer single-use plastic bags to customers. Additionally, there was a 72% reduction in the number of plastic bags found and removed at environmental clean-up sites.
Q: Are plastic bags more hygienic than reusable bags?
A: There is no conclusive evidence that plastic bags are more hygienic than reusable bags. While some studies have shown bacterial growth on unwashed reusable bags, this bacteria is not usually harmful to humans (like most of the bacteria on surfaces around your home). While the risk of food-borne illnesses from reusable bags is extremely small, regularly washing your bags is still a good idea.
Q: Are paper bags worse than plastic bags? Should Arlington County address paper bags as well?
A: Paper bag use drives deforestation, and are less efficient to transport than plastic bags. This makes them detrimental to the environment as well. However, paper bags can be more easily recycled, and since they are biodegradable, they will not linger around for hundreds of years in a given environment.
Ideally, the proposed tax would apply to both paper and plastic bags. Similar taxes have been passed in many cities and counties outside of Virginia. We encourage you to write your state delegate and senator to communicate your support for expanding the tax to include paper bags.