The new year brought some resolutions, renewed expectations and a long-awaited beginning. It also brought a five cent tax on all plastic bags at Montgomery County retail stores, effective Jan. 1.
When I saw this new tax, I was thrilled. I believe that if the government is going to tax anything, it should be something that destroys the environment, such as plastic bags. People shouldn’t be angry about this tax because they should have been using reusable bags in the first place.
The plastic bag tax represents more than just another way for the government to raise money. It is an important and vital step in the struggle between a bustling human population and the fragile planet. The tax, with original roots in Washington, D.C., indicates the conscious attempt to protect the Chesapeake and Anacostia watersheds.
The program in D.C. has “already reduced plastic bag litter that clogs the rivers and streams by 65 percent” according to an annoucement promoting the use of reusable bags. That number is astounding. The mere fact that in just 18 months this reduction has taken place in D.C. is encouraging, because I can only imagine what the effects would be after, say, five years.
The only true complaint about the tax that I have heard revolves around pet care. Yes, I have a dog too, and of course we must oblige by the communal law that their waste must be picked up and disposed. So, for that reason, plastic bags are useful. However, newspaper bags (which are delivered on a daily basis) can be used for the same purpose. If picking up solid waste from your pet is a legitimate problem without plastic bags, there are also things called pooper scoopers.
The issues of pollution, overpopulation and even climate change have been largely ignored by lawmakers around the world. The Montgomery County Carryout Bag Law is a monumental step that assures and promises commitment at least on the local level for environmental action. It’s absolutely necessary and it’s time the nation responds as well.