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This has *never* been the issue, and biodegradable bags will not help to solve the problem.

The issue is that plastic bags are lightweight, easily airborne, and inevitably end up "sticking" to the first wet surface that they encounter. In effect, the river becomes a magnet for plastic bags, especially given the amount of runoff that DC and PG County dump directly into the river. They also tend to clog up the sewers.

I don't know if PG's bag "tax" is intended to raise revenue, but DC's bag tax was explicitly designed not to produce meaningful amounts of revenue. The bag tax is designed to subtly guide consumers toward behaviors that are less harmful to society. If successful, fewer people will use plastic bags, and the tax will raise very little revenue. $0.05 per bag is not a financial burden for anyone.

Coffee cups and takeout containers are also absolutely issues that could easily be fixed. Like plastic bags, there are easy solutions to this problem too: Don't use styrofoam, and the containers won't wash into the river, and will eventually either sink or decompose if they are not picked up.

Keeping trash out of the river is not rocket science.

by andrew on Mar 5, 2012 10:20 am • link • report