Plastic Bag Tax Comes To Loudoun County On July 1

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — A 5 cent tax on plastic bags is coming to Loudoun County on July 1. The tax was approved by the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors earlier this year.

The tax will only apply to single-use bags distributed by grocery stores, convenience stores, and drug stores. The tax will not apply to restaurants, farmers markets, food banks, or clothing stores.

"Adopting this program will provide Loudoun County with a way to reduce the environmental harm of disposable plastic bags by encouraging shoppers to reuse durable bags," Sterling District Supervisor and Board Vice Chair Koran T. Saines said in a news release when the ordinance was passed. "Plastic bags pollute our precious land and water resources. People have a choice when they shop—they can avoid the tax altogether by bringing a reusable bag to the store."

The tax will not apply to the following bags:

• Durable plastic bags meant for multiple reuse
• Bags that are solely used to wrap ice cream, meat, fish, poultry, produce, unwrapped bulk food items or other perishable food items in order to avoid damage or contamination
• Plastic bags used for dry cleaning or prescription drugs
• Bags that are packaged and sold for use as garbage, pet waste or leaf-removal bags

Fairfax County, Arlington County, and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Roanoke, and Fredericksburg have already approved a 5 cent tax on plastic bags.

State law outlines specific uses for the revenue created by the plastic bag tax. Revenue must be used for environmental cleanup, providing education programs designed to reduce environmental waste, mitigating pollution and litter, and providing reusable bags to SNAP and WIC recipients.

The Loudoun County Department of Economic Development said officials have already started reaching out to retailers to let them know how the tax may affect them.

The plastic bag tax will be collected similarly to the current sales tax. Retailers will be compensated for the costs of collecting and remitting the tax by retaining a portion of the tax collected. Until January 1, 2023, retailers subject to the tax will be able to retain 2 cents for every 5 cents collected. After January 1, 2023, this discount will be reduced to 1 cent per bag.