Office of Environmental and Energy Coordination

CONTACT INFORMATION: Our office is open to visitors by appointment only. Please call or email from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
703-324-7136 TTY 711
12000 Government Center Pkwy, Suite 533
Fairfax, VA 22035
John Morrill
Director

Plastic Bag Tax Successfully Reduces Waste and Supports Sustainability Efforts

Our plastic bag tax is proving to be an effective tool in reducing plastic bag usage, according to data recently released by the county. Since 2022, when the bag tax begun, 3.6 million fewer plastic bags have been used by consumers in the county.

The data shows a positive and sustained decline in disposable plastic bags throughout the past few years.

  • In 2023, there was a reduction of approximately 1.6 million plastic bags used compared to the previous year.
  • And when comparing the first eight months of 2024 to the same period in 2023, an additional 2 million plastic bags were eliminated from use.

That’s nearly 4 million bags so far that will never find their way into county waterways.

“We are seeing the results of this program in the significant reduction of plastic waste,” said Jeffrey C. McKay, Board of Supervisors chairman. “The bag fee has never been about generating revenue but about changing behavior that helps our planet and helps our community reduce litter.  However, any revenue that is generated is applied directly to cleaning up our streams, supporting litter reduction and providing reusable bags to vulnerable populations."

green reusable bag

 

Fairfax Virtual Assistant