The Montgomery County Council unanimously approved a countywide ban, known as the “Bring Your Own Bag” bill, Feb. 11. The bill bans plastic shopping bags at most stores and doubles the tax on paper bags from five cents to ten cents per bag.
Starting Jan. 1, 2026, MoCo businesses will no longer be allowed to provide customers plastic bags at checkout, except for certain items like fresh meat, prescription drugs and dry cleaning. The bill aims to reduce plastic pollution by encouraging people to use reusable shopping bags. According to Kate Stewart, Montgomery County Council President and sponsor of the bill, revenue from the initiative will fund local water quality protection projects.
“Today, we’re making strides to advance our public health and environmental goals, building a cleaner future for Montgomery County,” Stewart said.
A poll by The Washington Post and the University of Maryland found that Montgomery County voters are nearly evenly split on the plastic bag ban, with 49% opposed and 47% in favor. However, the increase in the paper bag tax faces stronger opposition, with 69% against and 30% in support.
Sarah Pierce, Vice President of Communications and Government Affairs for the Maryland Retailers Alliance, argued that the bill places an excessive burden on businesses.
“Customers need only bring their own bag or skip the bag to avoid that 10-cent charge, but the only way that businesses can skip that is by removing the single-use bag option for everyone,” Price said at a public hearing last month.
The law also revises Montgomery County’s carryout bag policy to address a 2023 report from the Office of the Inspector General, which found that poor enforcement led to revenue losses. The changes aim to improve tax collection by cracking down on noncompliant businesses.
Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties implemented similar plastic bag bans in 2023 and 2024, while 12 other states currently enforce statewide prohibitions.
In January, the Council held a public hearing on the proposed legislation. Supporters argued it would reduce the waste from single-use plastic bags. Diane Bild of Beyond Plastic Montgomery County, a local chapter of a national organization working to end plastic pollution, said plastic bag use in Montgomery County creates significant waste.
“Plastic bags are harmful to the environment,” Bild said at the hearing. “They’re unnecessary. People adapt to their elimination, and there’s no credible downside in banning them related to health.”
Many consider paper bags a sustainable alternative to plastic bags because paper decomposes much faster, contains fewer harmful chemicals and comes from renewable resources. However, paper bags require far more energy to produce than plastic bags. Although paper is easier to recycle, it currently makes up most of the county’s non-recycled waste, followed by plastics and food waste.
Environmental groups agree that reusing bags is the best option for reducing waste and minimizing environmental impact.
Montgomery County has already banned the use and sale of polystyrene products (commonly known as Styrofoam) and requires restaurants to provide plastic straws only upon request.
Caryn McTighe Musil, a parent of two former Whitman students, hopes others will get in the habit of bringing their own bags.
“This is a small thing, but it is something that I think, because we do it on a daily basis, can remind us that we have the power to contribute to the ending of fossil fuels and nonrenewable energy and that we can do something in little ways every day to make the world healthier for not only ourselves but for nature,” McTighe Musil said.
