Bag Bill in Jepardy

“Would you like a bag?”  Simple words, big impact.  

 Just asking people to decide if they really need that bag is having a big environmental impact.   By imposing small five cent fee on all bags, Montgomery County has managed to decrease the number of bags in the trash stream by thousands.   The environment wins, small business save money and the County saves on clean-up costs.

Now, the County is considering legislation to weaken the bill and make carry outs, delis and non-food stores exempt from the fee, putting thousands of bags back into the trash stream and into our creek.

They say that they are hearing from too many people that five cents is too much to pay for a bag and that bags should be free.  Well, five cents for a bag is actually a bargain if you consider that nothing costs a nickle any more.  For just a dollar, or less than a cup of coffee,  you can buy 20 bags.  For the price of a small latte at Starbucks, you can buy 60 bags.  But that's not really the point of the Bill - it's to get people to think about the environment when they take a bag.  The five cent fee makes them stop and consider - Do they really need a bag?  Do they really need to add more trash to the environment? 

Just asking people to stop and think works.  The number of bags distributed has declined dramatically.  Businesses are saving money by not having to give away bags and the environment is winning.  Our fragile area, the Potomac, the Cheseapeake Bay need all the help they can get.  It may seem like baby steps, but these small efforts will add up to clean water and a clean bay. 

Please contact the County Council and ask them to vote for a clean environment and against Bill 10-13. 

Phil Andrews        240-777-7906      councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov

Roger Berliner      240-777-7828      councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov

Marc Elrich           240-777-7966      councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov

Valerie Ervin         240-777-7960      councilmember.ervin@montgomerycountymd.gov

Nancy Floreen       240-777-7959     councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov

George Leventhal  240-777-7811     councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov

Nancy Navarro      240-777-7968     councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov

Craig Rice             240-777-7955     councilmember.rice@montgomerycountymd.gov

Hans Riemer         240-777-7964     councilmember.riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov