Fairfax County residents will be paying 5-cents for every single-use plastic bag they use at grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores in the county.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved the earlier-proposed plastic bag tax, which requires consumers to pay for plastic bags. The tax will go into effect in January.
The hope is that consumers will switch to reusable bags, reducing pollution and litter in local waterways. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), less than 10 percent of plastic bags are recycled, despite most grocery stores providing facilities to recycle the bags. Most single-use plastic bags end up in landfills or as litter where they can endanger fish, wildlife and humans.
The City of Alexandria is considering a similar plastic bag tax.
Some exceptions to the charge in Fairfax County include the use of disposable plastic bags used to wrap meat, fish, poultry, produce, ice cream, bulk items or perishable foods to avoid damage or contamination, bags used for dry cleaning or prescription drugs, and pet waste bags. Reusable plastic bags would also be exempt from the tax.
Stores will be allowed would keep 2 cents of the tax until January 2023, when their share would drop to 1 cent. The remainder of the tax revenue would go to the county to fund specific programs with environmental, educational and social impacts as required under Virginia law.
