In the Bag?

The D.C. Council should approve a smart measure to cut down on trash.

LEGISLATION THAT would put a price on the bags that litter the streets and waterways of the District has cleared critical hurdles. It sailed through two D.C. Council committees, and it seems to have public support. But the real test comes tomorrow, and it is important that council members not falter in taking what promises to be a key step in reducing pollution.

The council will be asked to approve a bill that aims to discourage the use of plastic and paper bags via a small tax. Five cents would be charged for bags leaving grocery, drug, convenience and liquor stores, with most of the revenue earmarked for cleanup of the Anacostia River. An amendment exempts paper bags from restaurants and for carryout food. The bill is the brainchild of council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who, rightly disgusted by the 20,000 tons of garbage that end up each year in the Anacostia, looked for ways to cut down on the bags that make up much of the debris.

Other places that have imposed fees have seen dramatic changes in consumer behavior. A fiscal impact statement by Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi cites the experiences of Ireland and Denmark in assuming that the District would see a 50 percent reduction in the number of disposable bags used in the first year. The report estimates that if the 5-cent tax were adopted in the District, the number of disposable paper or plastic bags from grocery, drug, convenience and liquor stores would drop from 270 million used in fiscal 2010 to 27 million sold in fiscal 2013.

Eleven of 13 council members endorsed the bill, which won unanimous approval from the two committees. What's particularly heartening about the bill's support is that it comes despite efforts by opponents to color the debate with issues of race and class. Post columnist Marc Fisher reported how residents in African American neighborhoods in Southeast were targeted with faxes and robocalls in a lobbying attempt reminiscent of the ugly campaign that surrounded defeat of a 1987 ballot question that would have imposed a deposit on bottles and cans. This time, it didn't work because, as council member Yvette M. Alexander (D-Ward 7) told us, her constituents care just as much about the river and the appearance of their neighborhoods as their counterparts in other wards of the city.