Plastic Bag Use Drops Below 2% Under New County Law

A Montgomery County Sierra Club survey found that less than 2% of shopping trips now involve plastic carryout bags, down from roughly half of shoppers before the law took effect in January 2026. The Bring Your Own Bag law (Bill 24-24), led by Councilmember Kate Stewart, bans single-use plastic carryout bags at retail establishments and raises the paper bag fee from 5 to 10 cents, with half directed to the Water Quality Protection Charge fund. The survey also found that nearly 72% of shoppers are now using no bag or a reusable bag, compared to approximately half before the law's implementation.