LA PLATA, Md. — Charles County Acting County Administrator Deborah Hall signaled a potential policy shift Tuesday as she raised concerns about the impact of plastic bags on landfill operations. During the July 22 Board of Commissioners meeting, Hall said the bags are jamming equipment and increasing repair costs, prompting her to request that environmental staff explore legislative options for consideration this fall.
“One of the things that I’ve noticed when I tour the county, especially the landfill, is the plastic bags — we have so many plastic bags and they jam up our equipment,” Hall said. “They cause a tremendous amount of repair bills. They are really a blight in that area, especially as you try to do any type of recycling.”
While hesitant to suggest a tax outright, Hall said she has instructed the Environmental Resources Department to explore options for developing policy recommendations to present before the board later this year.
“I’ve asked them over the summer to craft some legislation that I could present in the fall,” she told commissioners. “That’s very important to me as a county administrator because I know the impacts to our staff and to our equipment and how much it costs us to deal with that issue.”
Hall noted this was the first time she had raised the issue publicly and had not discussed it with commissioners in advance.
Current Recycling Guidelines and Waste Programs in Charles County
Charles County’s curbside recycling program does not accept plastic bags of any kind. Instead, residents are instructed to return plastic bags to retail store collection bins. Bagged recyclables are often rejected because they damage sorting equipment and contaminate recycling loads, resulting in higher operational costs.
Need Help With What to Recycle? Use the County’s Waste Wizard
Charles County residents can use the Waste Wizard tool, available on the county’s website, to search for how to properly dispose of household items — including plastics, yard waste, electronics, and more. The tool provides drop-off site directions, lists of accepted materials, and links to resources such as plastic film recycling locations.
The Waste Wizard is accessible at charlescountymd.gov under the Environmental Resources section.
How Other Maryland Counties Handle Plastic Bags
Charles County’s considerations come as other Maryland jurisdictions implement or expand bag restrictions:
- Prince George’s County enacted its Better Bag Bill in June 2023, with enforcement beginning Jan. 1, 2024. The law bans plastic carryout bags and requires a 10-cent fee on paper or reusable bags.
- Anne Arundel County adopted its Bring Your Own Bag Plastic Reduction Act in June 2023. The ban on plastic bags took effect Jan. 1, 2024, and the accompanying 10-cent fee for paper/reusable bags began Feb. 1, 2024.
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Oh, please stop it folks! Unless you rid the entire country of plastic bags, you’ll never eliminate them. There are too many residents that even throw trash into the recycle bins, so this will never stop. One solution might be to have the recycle pick up guys looking into what’s thrown into the blue bins and leave those orange tags when they see violations, like they used to do. Residents need to get on board with returning plastic bags to the stores. Years ago, I changed over to putting my shredded paper in brown paper bags instead of plastic ones.