Paper or plastic? Either way, it’ll cost you five cents at the grocery store next year.

Retailers in Montgomery County will charge a five-cent tax on paper and plastic bags beginning Jan. 1, 2012.

The County Council voted 8-1 May 3 to impose the fee on all bags, except those from restaurants and prescription drug sales at pharmacies.

Another five-cent bag tax failed to pass committee in the Maryland General Assembly this year. It faced strong opposition from the chemical industry, which claimed  the tax was unnecessary. The state bill may be reintroduced next year.

Many councilmembers are confident the newly-passed bag tax will have positive effects, citing the effectiveness of a similar law in D.C. The D.C. law, which only applies to food sales, has reduced paper and plastic bag use by 80 percent since 2009, according to the Washington Post.

The County Council passed the tax to help protect the environment and reduce plastic bag usage, said Susan Buffone, a policy analyst in the office of councilmember Roger Berliner.

“Plastic bags have been quite a problem in streams,” she said. “This is a small but significant step in reducing the amount of litter in Montgomery County. If our motto is ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,’ this is a big step for ‘reduce.’”

Retailers expect to purchase fewer bags for customers after the tax goes into effect.

“We’ve seen a significant reduction in the number of bags we’ve had to provide in our District stores, so we expect to see some similar trends in Montgomery County,”  Safeway public affairs manager Craig Muckle said.

But councilmenber Nancy Floreen, the sole dissenter, argued that the tax was an extra nuisance.

“Fundamentally, I think it’s an unnecessary tax,” Floreen said. “It’s not large enough to cause anyone to actually change their behavior.”

Science teacher and Green Team sponsor Kelly Garton said he is doubtful the new law will dramatically affect county residents, who are already generally eco-conscious.

“I don’t think it’s going to have much impact at all,” Garton said. “I think that Montgomery County has done a great job with providing us with all these recycling bins.”

Some students said they are not likely to change their habits as a result of the fee.

“I don’t think five cents is going to register as a huge amount of money to spend on a bag,” sophomore Mia Duncan said. “I would probably still just pay for the bag, even though I think they’re trying to enforce reusing bags and saving resources.”

The county will give 20 percent of the bag-tax proceeds to merchants in exchange for their cooperation and to cover collection costs. The rest will be used by the government to decontaminate local waterways and provide reusable bags to elderly citizens.

Though charging for paper and plastic bags is a good idea in theory, the tax will likely not have a significant effect on the environment, Floreen said.

“People try their best, but it’s not going to save the planet,” she said. “It’s typical Montgomery County feel-good legislation.”