Mayor Fenty to sign bill charging DC consumers 5 cent for plastic bags

Media Credit: Courtesy Photo

Beginning in January, consumers in the District will have to pay a five-cent plastic bag tax for each plastic bag given if they don't bring reusable bags when they shop at the grocery store, drug store and other retail outlets that sell food.

As expected, the mayor has signed the bill that was passed unanimously by the city council last month. The new law, officials hope, will reduce the amount of trash that makes its way in to the Anacostia River.

Businesses will charge customers five cents for every bag they take out of the store. That money will go into the new Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund.

The District Department of the Environment will begin a campaign to publicize the five-cent fee by October and will set up a public-private partnership to distribute free reusable bags to those who need them.

"Under this new law, the simple steps we take every day will result in a healthier Anacostia River," Mayor Fenty said in a statement yesterday. "Disposable bags are a menace to our waterways, and dramatically cutting down on their use will have a measurable impact almost immediately."