Skip the Bag, Save the River

The Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act ('Bag Law') requires all District businesses that sell food or alcohol charge five cents for each disposable paper or plastic carryout bag – whether or not food or alcohol products are purchased in the store.

The business retains one cent (or two cents if it offers a rebate when customers bring their own bag), and the remaining three or four cents goes to The Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund, The law also requires that reusable paper and plastic bags meet specific material and labeling requirements [PDF].

The District’s Bag Law is the first of its kind in the U.S. Since the law took effect on January 1, 2010, District businesses have seen a drastic reduction in bag usage and environmental clean-up groups witnessed fewer bags polluting DC waterways.

The ultimate goal of the law is to change consumer behavior by encouraging District residents to use reusable bags, thereby reducing bag pollution in waterways. Revenue is deposited into the The Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Fund, a special purpose fund managed by the District Department of the Environment (DDOE). The fund is used to implement watershed education programs, stream restoration, trash retention projects and to purchase and distribute reusable bags.

The Law

• DC Bag Law [PDF]
• Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Clarification Emergency Amendment Act of 2009  [PDF]
• The Motivation Behind the Bag Law

About DDOE's Implementing Regulations:

On August 13, 2010, the final regulations on retail establishment carryout bags (Chapter 10 of Title 21 of the DC Municipal Regulations) were published in the D.C. Register, 57 DCR 7208. These regulations clarify how DDOE implements and enforces the requirements of the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act of 2009.

• Bag Law Regulations [PDF]

Bag Law Resources

• Summary of the District's carryout bag requirements [PDF]
• DDOE’s letters to District businesses affected by these new regulations [PDF]
• Minimum Bag Labeling Requirement Details  [PDF]
• Bag Law - FAQs

Bag Law Tip Line

Were you not charged for a bag? If you suspect that a business is in violation of the District Bag Law, please fill out the Bag Tip Line Form or give us a call at (202) 407-1277.

Resources for Businesses

Businesses collecting the bag fee are to report their net bag fee collections on their monthly sales and use tax returns- FR-800M - to the DC Office of Tax and Revenue. Businesses are not required to report the total number of bags subject to the fee or the $.01 and $.02 allowances. Retailers should retain records of the number of bags and the amount of fees collected to support their reports of net disposable bag fee collections for auditing purposes.

• Instructions for remitting monthly bag fees with the DC Office of Tax and Revenue [PDF]
• Final Regulations on Retail Establishment Carryout Bags [PDF]
• Print materials for businesses  [PDF]

Resources for Residents

• Recycling Resources
• Recycling FAQs
• Support the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund
• Get a Save the River Commemorative License Plate
  

Press Coverage

• How D.C. Beat the Plastic Bag Lobby – One Earth (November 11, 2010)
• District Awards Seven Community Organizations $1 Million in Revenue from Bag Charges to Restore Local Waterways – District of Columbia Press Release (July 13, 2011)
• 38 Percent of Businesses Not Complying with D.C. 5-cent Bag Fee – TBD (May 25, 2011)
• Trapping Trash Before It Gets To The Anacostia – WAMU (January 30, 2012)
  Money from D.C.'s Bag Law is being put to good use; the District has deployed several giant skimmers to help collect trash in the area's waterways.
• Two Years Without Plastic Bags – Washington City Paper (January 31, 2012)
• Video of Mayor Fenty's press conference (Windows Media Player required)

Partners Include: CVS/pharmacy, Giant, Harris Teeter, Safeway