The Montgomery County Council will vote on Bill 24-24, Taxation – Paper Carryout Bags and Prohibition on Plastic Carryout Bags (also known as the Bring Your Own Bag Bill), on Tuesday, February 11. If passed, the bill would prohibit plastic carryout bags provided by retail establishments, with certain exceptions, impose a tax on paper carryout bags at the point of sale, and require a tax on plastic carryout bags if provided within a municipality.
The bill would also increase the bag fee for paper bags from five to ten cents, with five cents allocated to retailers and five cents allocated to the Water Quality Protection Charge Fund.
“The bill encourages people to bring reusable bags with them while shopping and improves the process for our local businesses. Working with environmentalists, retailers, and local chambers of commerce, this bill aligns with nine other neighboring areas around Maryland and moves toward a more sustainable future for the County,” said Council Vice President Stewart in October when the bill was introduced.
According to Montgomery County Government, “The legislation revises the County’s current carryout bag tax, which was implemented through the Council’s passage of Bill 8-11 in May 2011. That legislation placed a five-cent tax on paper or plastic carryout bags provided by retail establishments to help fund the County’s stormwater management program. Under Bill 8-11, retail establishments must remit four cents per bag to the County and keep one cent per bag to cover administrative costs.
In a report released in June 2023, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that poor administration and implementation of the carryout bag tax law had diminished its potential impact. The OIG recommended improvements to the program, which the BYOB Bill aims to address through legislative changes to enhance the effectiveness of the carryout bag tax law.