County plastic bag tax reduces bag usage, funds environmental projects

by | Jan 13, 2025 | Litter, Plastic bag tax

Plastic bag tax revenue allocations to environmental/sustainability programs as of November 2024.
(Credit: Fairfax County.)

Last month, Fairfax County reported that its plastic bag tax has successfully curbed the use of disposable bags and helped fund numerous environmental programs. The five-cent fee per bag was introduced in January 2022 at grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores around the county.

According to a Dec. 18 news report, 3.6 million fewer plastic bags were used by Fairfax County consumers between the start of 2022 and August 2024. Additionally, more than $6 million in revenue has been generated from the bag tax for environmental cleanup and sustainability programs, of which $4.3 million had been allocated as of November 2024.

In the Dec. 13 issue of the Lusk Report, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk observed that bag tax revenue generated in 2024 was on the decline, indicating “progress toward reducing the use of single-use plastic bags and their associated harmful environmental impacts.”

The bag tax has “never been about generating revenue,” according to Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay,

“The ultimate goal is to collect no revenue because we want shoppers to embrace reusable bags and reduce plastic waste,” McKay wrote in a Dec. 10 email newsletter to constituents.

Mount Vernon On the MoVe asked Fairfax County’s Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination for some examples of how plastic bag tax revenue has been used to fund projects around the Mount Vernon District:

Recycling Campaign in 2023: Tax revenue was used to fund the installation of multilingual “Recycling Right” posters at 30 bus shelters along the Richmond Highway Corridor. The posters featured local community leaders encouraging waste reduction and proper disposal of items that can be recycled. The campaign, which was allocated $30,000 in plastic bag tax revenue, ran from May to October 2023 with an estimated 8.5 million total impressions from people who used or drove by the shelters.

Route 1 bus shelter recycling ad (Credit: Fairfax County OEEC)

Future Anti-littering Campaign: Revenue will be used for an anti-littering campaign at Laurel Hill Central Green in Lorton. The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) will use $2,200 in plastic bag tax proceeds to install signage combining ecological educational information with anti-littering messaging. Depending on the success of the pilot, other parks with high litter rates may be identified for future funding, according to county documents.

In terms of ongoing initiatives, plastic bag tax revenue has been used to fund the collection of food compost at FCPA farmers markets, including the Mount Vernon/McCutcheon and Lorton markets. Allocated funds also have enabled the county to purchase supplies for farmers market customers like reusable canvas bags and counter-top compost bins.

Counter-top compost bins were given away to FCPA farmers market customers dropping off food compost in June (Credit: FCPA/Facebook)

Plastic bag tax revenues also are used for the Illegal Sign Removal Program in Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) rights of way. Under that program, Fairfax County removes political campaign signs, advertising signs and other illegal signage from major roads, including Backlick Road, Boswell Avenue, Fordson Road, Fort Hunt Road, Lockheed Boulevard, Lorton Road, North Kings Highway, Richmond Highway, Sherwood Hall Lane, South Kings Highway, Telegraph Road and many other roads around the county.

The bulk of the plastic bag tax revenue has been allocated to Operation Stream Shield, a partnership enabling residents of local homeless shelters to help remove litter from waterways, some of which are located around the Richmond Highway Corridor. The program is now being expanded to include litter removal from VDOT rights of way, bus shelters and commuter lots.

Reprinted with permission from Mount Vernon On the Move

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