“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