“The evidence from the District and Montgomery is overwhelming. In the District,
plastic bag use has dropped by at least half since the 5-cent tax
went into effect in 2010. In Montgomery ,
the drop was significant — about a third — though not as sharp as in the
District; however, the county collected more than $2 million from the
tax last year, which will help it pay to remove litter that includes plastic
bags.”
I've been a staunch proponent of reusable bags ever since I listened
to Jean-Michael Cousteau at the Baltimore Speaker Series a little over three
years ago. Since then I've amassed quite a collection.
Plastic bags are a public nuisance. A neighbor once quipped
that we should make them the state flag since you can see them flutter in the wind almost everywhere.
“Industry lobbyists even argue that plastic bags don’t
contribute much to litter, as if the visible evidence all around — bags in tree
limbs, bags blowing down the street, bags clogging sewer drains — is invented.
A study by the Maryland Department of the Environment last year confirmed their
harmful effects.”
HoCo Delegates Guy Guzzone and Liz Bobo are signed on as
sponsors of the bill making this one of those rare moments when I actually
support Liz.
