Time to Ditch the Plastic Bags

By Ryan Alexander Sierzega
Vienna

The D.C. Council has given initial approval to the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Act of 2009, which would charge a five-cent tax on each paper or plastic bag used at grocery stores, pharmacies and other food-service providers. Another vote must be taken this month before the bill becomes law. New York and Seattle and many European nations have introduced similar bills. Virginia should follow suit.

Plastic bags can take a thousand years to decompose, and they kill wildlife. If we replaced them with reusable bags, we would save wildlife, decrease pollution and save room at landfills. We could use the resulting revenue to help cleanup efforts that would save wildlife and rivers and keep our drinking water clean.