Support the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Act

Trash along DC area waterways

If you look along any road or take a walk near any area river, you’ll undoubtedly see hundreds of plastic bags in trees and in the water ways.  Nearly 50% of the trash in the Anacostia is disposable plastic bags, the type you get from grocery stores and convenience stores.

This week, DC Councilmember Tommy Wells is expected to  introduce a bill to encourage shoppers and grocery stores to move towards reusable bags.  In the bill will be a 5 cent fee per disposable plastic bag.  The fee will help  fund river clean up and protection.

Despite the fact that recycling plastic bags is easy to do in DC and surrounding areas,  it has proven that recycling is not enough to prevent bags from entering the waterways.

The plastic bag fee is a not a new idea.  In fact Ireland implemented a country wide fee, and saw its plastic bag usage drop over 90%.   China has banned free plastic bags, and San Francisco went even further and banned plastic bags altogether.

Read more about why plastic bags are so devastating to the environment. Sign the online petition to support a Trash Free Anacostia. If you live in DC, call your council member and tell them to support this bill.