Resource

The Anacostia River in Washington, DC, is among the nation’s most polluted rivers, and a study found that disposable plastic bags were the most abundant visible pollutant in the River, where 85% of the trash is comprised of bags, bottles and Styrofoam.

Councilmember Tommy Wells, who represented neighborhoods along the River, started to look at what other communities in the U.S. and abroad were doing. He developed a proposal to curb the use of disposable bags, which are usually thrown away after a single use and often end up littering neighborhoods, clogging storm drains and landing in local rivers.

In 2010, Washington, D.C. became the first city in the U.S. to implement a fee on disposable plastic and paper bags. Any store that sells food or alcohol is required to charge 5¢ per bag. The store keeps 1¢ of the fee (or 2¢ if the business offers customers a credit for bringing their own reusable bags), and the rest goes into a fund aimed at cleaning up the Anacostia River.