Plastic goes out starting tomorrow

From Councilperson Rigby:

"Starting October 1, all stores in Howard County who provide customers a disposable plastic bag at the point of sale are required to charge 5 cents per bag. Customers cannot be charged if they use their own bag for their purchases.

Some residents have asked about whether it's safe to use reusable bags during COVID-19. As scientists learn more about coronavirus, there is growing consensus in the scientific community that reusable bags can be used safely with cleaning.

You can read more on the safety of reusable bags here https://www.upstreamsolutions.org/blogs/reuse-safety and here: https://stateimpact.npr.org/.../scientists-know-more.../

Companies and local businesses have taken the initiative to reduce plastic bag consumption in our community. I was excited to see that

Wegmans

in Columbia announced recently that they will stop using all single-use plastic bags in their store as part of their "commitment to solving the environmental challenges that come with using single-use bags."

You can find more information on Howard County's plastic bag fee and plastics reduction program here: http://bit.ly/HowardCountyBagFee

Have questions? Please email them to bagfee@howardcountymd.gov. "

Maryland will also do away with styrofoam containers.

#hocoblogs