City Council Granted Final Approval to Plastic Bag Tax

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Alexandria City Council has given final approval for the new five-cent tax on all disposable plastic bags offered at grocery, convenience and drug stores. The final vote was cast during the public hearing session held on September 18^th. The tax on plastic bags, which aims to reduce consumption of plastic bags, will be effective from January 1, 2022.

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The two public speakers at the meeting endorsed the tax. Michael Olex, Vice-Chair of the Environmental Policy Commission said that the bag tax is an effective and inexpensive way of reducing plastic pollution, as has been already demonstrated in other communities such as D.C. He urged the Council to adopt the tax system for the benefits of Alexandria citizens and the environment. Also, public speaker Al Clark noted that bag tax proposal is an easy choice, in comparison with other harder environmental choices.

The retailers will be permitted to keep with them a portion of the tax collected. From the effective date through January 1, 2013, they will be allowed to retain two cents for every five cents collected, after which it will reduce to one cent.

Alexandria is the third to adopt plastic bag tax in the region. Arlington and Fairfax too had approved a similar tax.