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ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 4, 2026—Less than two percent of shopping trips now use plastic carryout bags, according to Sierra Club observations at grocery stores in the County. The Montgomery County Sierra Club recently released findings from a new survey showing that the use of plastic carryout bags has been nearly eliminated in Montgomery County, following the enactment of Councilmember Kate Stewart’s Bring Your Own Bag law. The survey studied Montgomery County shopper and retailer behavior before and after the January 2026 implementation of the law.
“The Sierra Club survey results show incredible progress and decisive action by County residents and retailers toward zero waste and residents bringing their own reusable bags,” Councilmember Stewart said. “Thank you to the Sierra Club members, including Martha Ainsworth, for your partnership and leadership in keeping our waterways and streets clean by working to enact our Bring Your Own Bag law banning single-use plastic carryout bags in the County and aligning our fee with neighboring counties.”
The Bring Your Own Bag law (Bill 24-24), led by Councilmember Stewart, prohibits retail establishments from providing single-use plastic carryout bags and revised the County's bag law for paper carryout bags at the point of sale.
Before the law went into effect, the Sierra Club found that approximately half of shoppers were using plastic bags or a mix of plastic and paper bags, while approximately half were using no bag or a reusable bag. After the law went into effect, the Sierra Club found that only 1.4 percent were using plastic or a mix of plastic and paper bags, and nearly 72 percent of shoppers were using no bag or a reusable bag. The survey found that the new law increased the share of shoppers using no bag or a reusable bag.
The law, which went into effect this year, reduces obstacles to compliance for retailers and increases funding for water quality protection projects to build a cleaner future for Montgomery County.
The new law increased the bag fee for paper bags from five to 10 cents, with five cents allocated to the retailers and five cents allocated to the Water Quality Protection Charge fund. The law revises the County’s former carryout bag law from 2011.
The complete survey results are available on the Sierra Club webpage.
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