Plastic and paper bags fill up landfills, are incinerated to create unhealthful emissions, add needless costs to public works budgets, pollute our streams and add to neighborhood litter. They are also unnecessary.

The District of Columbia can reduce waste, protect and restore the waters of the District, clean up neighborhoods, beautify community parks and fund Anacostia restoration efforts by enacting B18-150, the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Act of 2009.

The proposed law will:

• Put a 5 cent fee on plastic and paper bags at stores in the District, which will add yet another incentive to using re-usable bags when shopping, and increase the benefit to the many Washington residents who already do so.
• A portion of the fee will be retained by stores to for administration costs of the new program. Retailers will be encouraged to follow the lead of many businesses by providing rebates and reusable bags for customers.
• The remaining money will go to cleanup the Anacostia River, including the 20,000 tons of trash that pollute the river every year.

What you can do: Write a short letter to the City Council.