Shoppers in Albemarle County and Charlottesville will have to pay for disposable plastic bags beginning Jan. 1 in an effort to encourage the use of reusable bags.
A five-cent tax will be charged to shoppers for each plastic bag used at checkout at grocery stores, convenience stores and pharmacies.
The Virginia Disposable Plastic Bag Tax is meant to address the impacts and costs of disposable plastic bags in the community.
According to the Department of Taxation, “any city or county in Virginia may impose a 5 cent tax … the city or county needs to pass an ordinance to begin applying this tax.”
The city of Fairfax will also enact the disposable plastic bag tax on Jan. 1.
The cities of Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, and Roanoke, as well as Loudoun County, already charge the 5 cent per bag tax rate to customers.
States that have enacted a tax on single-use plastic bags charge any where from 5 cents to 25 cents per bag. Eight states have gone a step further and banned single-use plastic bags including California, Delaware, Connecticut, Maine, Hawaii, Oregon, New York and Vermont.
Durable plastic bags with handles, that are designed to be used multiple times, will not be subject to the tax. Plastic bags used to wrap certain goods to prevent damage or contamination will also not be subject to the tax.
Beginning in January. Albemarle County staff will distribute reusable bags throughout the county to SNAP and WIC recipients to help them avoid additional costs during checkout.
According to Albemarle County, the change to reusable bags is in the communities best interest.
- While disposable bags are recyclable, the recycling rates are actually quite low. In fact, a lot of recycling equipment can’t handle the bags as they can get snagged and clog up machinery.
- Plastic bags pose a risk to animals and their habitats. Not only are the bags mistaken for food, which can cause health problems or death, but animals can also become tangled in them.
- Disposable bags are likely to end up as litter – resulting in not only an eyesore but a costly clean-up effort.
- Reusable bags can be used for many reasons beyond a trip to the grocery store – and are often much more durable than disposable plastic bags.
- Studies have found that plastic bag mitigation efforts have decreased the number of plastic litter in nearby waterways.
Virginia stores will be responsible for collecting the tax at the time of the sale.
Monies raised by this tax go to support environmental cleanup, litter and pollution mitigation or environmental education efforts, or to provide reusable bags to SNAP and WIC benefit recipients.
Stores will be responsible for filing the plastic bag tax as part of their Form ST-9 Retail Sales and Use Tax return each month.
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Crystal Graham
