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Agenda Item
21. 22-259 Public Hearing to Consider the Adoption of an Ordinance to Impose a Tax upon Disposable Plastic Bags Tax. To receive public comment on its intent to adopt an ordinance to amend County Code Chapter 15, Taxation. The proposed ordinance would add Article 8.1, Disposable Plastic Bag Tax, to impose a disposable plastic bag tax effective on and after January 1, 2023, as enabled by Virginia Code § 58.1-1745.
I wish to voice my support for the Disposable Plastic Bags Tax. This has been successfully implemented in several other municipalities in Virginia. We have a litter problem in Albemarle County. Just this afternoon on a short bike ride I spotted more than a dozen plastic grocery bags, some on the ground and many waving like flags in the trees and bushes. Furthermore, I recently participated in a litter cleanup along Meadow Creek. Along a 0.27-mile stretch, I collected 27 plastic grocery bags and 104 pieces of plastic bags. The plastic bag tax will provide money to address the rampant roadside litter and it will incentivize the use of reusable bags. My daughter lives in Portland, Maine where a similar measure has been taken, and now shopping with a reusable bag is the norm. Implementation of this tax is an important step in addressing plastic pollution in our waterways and on the land. In celebration of Earth Day, there is no better time to take action.
I wish to voice my support for the Disposable Plastic Bags Tax. This has been successfully implemented in several other municipalities in Virginia. We have a litter problem in Albemarle County. Just this afternoon on a short bike ride I spotted more than a dozen plastic grocery bags, some on the ground and many waving like flags in the trees and bushes. Furthermore, I recently participated in a litter cleanup along Meadow Creek. Along a 0.27-mile stretch, I collected 27 plastic grocery bags and 104 pieces of plastic bags. The plastic bag tax will provide money to address the rampant roadside litter and it will incentivize the use of reusable bags. My daughter lives in Portland, Maine where a similar measure has been taken, and now shopping with a reusable bag is the norm. Implementation of this tax is an important step in addressing plastic pollution in our waterways and on the land. In celebration of Earth Day, there is no better time to take action.