Plastic bag tax generated over $6 million
Fairfax County’s plastic bag tax has generated over $6.2 million in revenue since it took effect on Jan. 1, 2022, the county reports.
The largest share of those funds supported Operation Stream Shield, a program that pays homeless people for temporary work removing debris from streams and other locations. Funds also went to waste collection at commuter lots, the Zero Waste program, compost collections at farmers markets, the removal of illegal signs, and other programs.
Customers are charged a 5-cent tax on each disposable plastic bag provided at grocery stores, convenience stores, and drugstores.
The tax was established to reduce the amount of plastic bags that end up in streams and along roadways. Plastics do not biodegrade. Instead, they break down into tiny pieces that harm wildlife and get into food and drinking water.
According to Clean Fairfax, one reusable bag can offset more than 500 single-use plastic bags.
Under Virginia law, revenue from the tax must be used for any of these four purposes: (1) education on environmental waste reduction; (2) environmental cleanup; (3) pollution and litter mitigation; and (4) the provision of reusable bags to recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits.
One response to “Plastic bag tax generated over $6 million”
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Finally some good news about the environment! Plus I’m seeing fewer plastic bags caught in trees and bushes along the roadways. This is a great program.
People need to remember to bring their reusable bags in ALL stores, not just grocery stores. I keep mine in the car and use them at drugstores, department stores and home improvement stores too. Every little bit helps—as evidenced by raising $6+ million in increments of 5 cents.