Dear Climate Activists: A proposed new law to implement a 5-cent tax on some plastic bags will be voted upon during the next meeting of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Sept. 14, starting at 9:30am. Plastic manufacturers, some business groups, and others that want to maintain the status quo are already hard at work to defeat it. Now is the time for us all to speak up. Single use film plastic and non-woven polypropylene bags are bad for a whole host of reasons. They take an enormous amount of fossil fuels to produce — resulting in more planet-warming greenhouse gas, and are used for only an average of 12 minutes before being thrown away or littered. They often end up in our waterways where they turn into microplastics and are eaten by wildlife, or cause toxic air pollution if incinerated. Single use plastic bags are the third most littered item in Virginia waterways. According to the EPA, only about 10% of plastic bags are recycled. | |
ACT NOW and send an email to your county supervisor. We’ve made it easy for you to take action today. | |
