Join us February 3 for our first Member Meeting & Training

One of our goals for 2014 is to help our fantastic members better connect with each other, and provide members with more resources to create effective campaigns. We have members all over the state, protecting local streams, teaching students, cleaning up neighborhood parks, and making compost. Imagine the power we have when we come together to work for the same goals!

Trash Free Maryland Alliance members are invited to our first annual member meeting and training, on Monday, February 3, in Annapolis. The event is free for all members--including staff, interns, board members, and volunteers. We have a great agenda planned out and can't wait to see you all!

Register by clicking here. More detailed info will be sent directly to registered individuals so please sign up by January 31!

If you are not yet a member of Trash Free Maryland (see the member list to the right), email Julie for more info about how to join.

Agenda

3:00-3:15 Introductions and Overview of Trash Free Maryland (Julie Lawson, TFMD director)

3:15-3:45 The Science of Plastic Pollution
3:45-4:00 The Psychology of Litterers

4:00-4:45 Policy Solutions to Litter
- TFMD Legislative Agenda Overview
- Container Deposits (Mike Smaha, Owens-Illinois)
- Disposable Bag Fees (Brent Bolin, Maryland League of Conservation Voters and TFMD co-founder)

4:45-5:00 Break

5:00-5:45 Making Your Voice Heard (Jen Brock-Cancellieri, Maryland League of Conservation Voters)
- Overview of the General Assembly
- How to Influence Your Representatives

5:45-6:00 Wrap-up

Thank you to Delegate Michael Summers (D-District 47) for sponsoring this venue!

Do plastic bags enable more littering?

Eastern Avenue, on the border between Washington, DC,
and Prince George's County, Maryland

I've been taking note of bags like the one above lately. Someone obviously cleaned out his or her car, using a plastic grocery bag to contain it all, and then left it next to the curb or alongside the car when driving away. I've certainly found bags like this during trash cleanups, and I've picked them up on the street. (I did pick this one up after taking the photo. It was mostly single-serve juice bottles and snack wrappers. Maybe the driver had done a road trip and this was the food bought along the way. There are no Wawa stores near where I found the bag, so it had definitely traveled.)

They generally don't fit down storm drains, at least not when full. Street sweepers might pick them up, but more likely the bags will be torn apart by animals looking for food, or they'll get run over (since it was left in the road), and the contents will scatter.

Clearly people who do this are thinking about what they are doing. The bags are tied shut, usually placed upright. This demonstrates what we learned in the 2008 littering behavior research that OpinionWorks conducted for the Alice Ferguson Foundation. In that study, admitted litterers participated in focus groups and psychoanalysis to get to the root of why they litter. In general, they feel a lot of stress and lack of control in their lives, so they try to keep their very narrow concept of their personal space tidy, to the detriment of the outside world. In other words, they keep their cars clean but don't think about where they put the collected refuse--so setting on the street outside their car is just fine.

At the same time, litterers know that the action is illegal; they just don't expect to get caught. So they tend to set the litter down instead of throwing it; they say, "the bottle wasn't broken when I left it there."

And so we end up with plastic bags filled with trash, neatly tied and set upright next to a car. Until, of course, it gets run over and the contents blow all over the place.

These bags also remind me of the American Progressive Bag Alliance's claim (yes, the trade group that represents plastic bag manufacturers) that 90% of people reuse plastic bags. This stat sounds great, except the vast majority of these "reuses" are one-time reuses, like picking up dog poop and lining household trash cans. I wonder how many people say they are reusing their plastic bags to clean out their cars, and then leaving the full bag on the road.

If we stopped using plastic bags, and instead used durable reusable bags for shopping, would it force these somewhat-conscientious litterers to change their behavior, to clean out their cars at gas stations or at home, where a proper disposal container is available?

The modern-day tumbleweed

The modern day tumbleweed – the plastic bag – blowing in the wind, and right into our waterways…

We have all seen them, every day of the week, whether on your way into work or out walking around, there they are: brown, white, blue, black . . . plastic bags fluttering through the air, stuck in tree branches, floating on the surface of the water, clogging up the storm drains. I know you are committed to reducing trash in Baltimore’s streets and waterways and are sick of seeing this eyesore – so let’s speak up today and let our City Council members know that we want policies in place to reduce the use of disposable bags (and polystyrene containers and to increase recycling while we are at it!)

Did you know that last year Travel + Leisure magazine ranked Baltimore the third dirtiest city in America?! Now, more than ever is the time for all of us to support efforts like Councilman Brandon Scott’s bill (13-0241), which would set a nominal fee on disposable plastic and paper bags; a proven and effective measure for reducing disposable bag use and litter.

Your City Council representatives are holding a bill hearing on January 21st at 9:45 am. Look up which district you live in, if you don’t already know, and please call or email your member of City Council today and let him or her know that you support this measure – you care about clean water, stronger neighborhoods, and the health of our City!

As Councilman Scott has been quoted, “We have more plastic bags in the streams than fish. If you go to a park in my district, all you see is plastic bags." This is unacceptable and it is time we stand up and make a difference!

Disposable bag fees are not even a new idea – check out this great article about Hawaii’s recent move to ban plastic bags, making it the first state in the country to eliminate this nuisance.

Don’t think your voice matters? Think again! As the article points out, Hawaii’s success came from local, grassroots efforts. The ban did not come from the state legislature but instead from the four County Councils. The article also notes that the plastic bag ban is only just a first step; if they were to enact a fee for paper bags as well, they would further reduce the use of disposable products.

We can do it Baltimore!!

- by Kristen Weiss, Blue Water Baltimore

Victory in Montgomery! For now.

The Montgomery County Council has put a hold on a proposal to reduce the number of stores required to charge five cents for disposable plastic and paper checkout bags.

In a committee work session last Monday, Councilmember Roger Berliner said his amendment aimed to "strengthen" the law by exempting some businesses from it. The bill passed 2-1, with sponsors seeking to rush it to a full Council vote before the end of the year. On Wednesday, following a phone conversation with County Executive Ike Leggett, Berliner changed course, agreeing to wait on further action until the County can conduct surveys and collect more data. He asked the Department of Environmental Protection to provide a report by Summer 2014.

The current law, in effect since January 2012, requires all retailers in the county to charge a five-cent fee for disposable plastic and paper checkout bags. Bill 10-13 would carve out retailers that primarily sell goods other than food, as well as plastic bags used for takeout restaurant food. Only stores that earn more than 2% of their gross sales from food would continue to collect the fee.

At a hearing in June, environmental and citizen groups, and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, largely opposed the proposed amendment, while small chambers endorsed it. Opponents argued that the bill language was unclear and that non-food store bags also pollute county streams and neighborhoods. One question was the definition of "food." Under the state sales tax code, "food" does not include alcohol, soda, or candy. This definition would exempt liquor stores and potentially many convenience stores from the law.

The lack of clarity on what stores would be exempted also troubled advocates--retailers do not currently report the breakdown of their sales to the County government, and even the Council attorney could only offer his best guess on whether stores like Target and CVS would be exempted. Advocates argued that the Council needed to provide a detailed list of the stores that would be exempted before taking action.

Hearing these comments, the committee did amend the bill to include alcohol in the definition of "food," but delayed making a decision on soft drinks and candy.

In addition to collecting bag sales and public opinion data, the delay also affords DEP the opportunity to conduct more outreach, including distributing free reusable bags in low-income communities and educating county residents and businesses on the positive aspects of the law--significantly fewer bags being littered, revenue for pollution prevention projects, and cost savings for retailers.

International Coastal Cleanup events tomorrow!

Saturday, September 21, is the primary day for the International Coastal Cleanup, organized by the Ocean Conservancy. Last year more than 500,000 volunteers participated worldwide. This event is one of the largest for collecting data on the types of trash polluting our waterways.

Want to participate? At least three Alliance members are hosting events tomorrow:

Bear Creek, Dundalk
Hosted by Clean Bread and Cheese Creek
9 am-2 pm

Assateague National Seashore
Hosted by Assateague Coastal Trust
9-11 am

Antietam Creek, Funkstown
Hosted by Antietam Creek Watershed Alliance
9 am-1 pm

ICC-affiliated events will be taking place through October. Click here to find more.

Bag fees: Where does the money go?

I've been terrible at updating this summer. Plus I get asked this question a lot, so it seems like I should document it for posterity.

So you are shopping in DC or Montgomery County, and you forgot your reusable bag and opt to buy a disposable one. You pay your nickel to the cashier, and you're on your way. But where does the nickel go?

In DC, the store keeps 1 or 2 cents. The remainder is collected by the Office of Tax and Revenue and managed by the District Department of the Environment in the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund. This fund is used for the following:

- administration and enforcement of the law
- public and business outreach and education about the law (including distribution of reusable bags)
- restoration activities on the Anacostia River (including trash traps, stream restoration, and an anti-litter public education campaign)

How funds from the DC bag bill were spent in Fiscal Year 2012

DC collects about $1.8 million each year this way.

In Montgomery County, the store keeps 1 cent. The remainder is collected by the Department of Finance and managed by the Department of Environmental Protection in the Water Quality Improvement Fund. The WQIF is primarily funded by the stormwater utility--bag fee revenues are an offset to that charge (i.e., utility charges go down if the bag revenues are higher than expected). The Fund is used for a variety of stormwater mitigation programs, including retention swales that collect stormwater as well as trash. This fund also pays for reusable bags for distribution to the public.

Montgomery County collected about $2.3 million last year.

The way the Maryland statewide bag bill is written, the store would keep 1 cent. The remainder would be collected by the Comptroller. Small portions would go to the Department of Human Resources for distribution of reusable bags, the Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation for enforcement, and stay with the Comptroller for administration. The remainder would be split, with half going to the Chesapeake Bay Trust for grantmaking to local organizations and jurisdictions, and half being returned to counties (apportioned based on population size) for use in water quality improvements.

In other ordinances around the country, the store retains the entire fee (in which case it usually ends up being called a "charge" instead of a "fee").

Baltimore polystyrene ban passes out of committee

The Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee of the Baltimore City Council voted unanimously today in favor of a measure that would ban disposable food-service foam containers from restaurants and city facilities. The ban would extend to cups, plates, dishes, bowls, trays, clamshell containers, and similar items used for transporting prepared foods. The proposal also prohibits City funds from being used to purchase these materials. Violating the ordinance would result in a $200 fine.

Foam polystyrene (often called by the brand name Styrofoam) comprises a third of the litter in the Harris Creek watershed, explained Dr. Ray Bahr, a local activist. This litter winds up in the Baltimore Harbor, which is plagued by floating debris.

The bill, #12-0104, was introduced by Councilmember Jim Kraft (D-District 1) last July. It received favorable reports from numerous City agencies, and the committee heard public testimony today. Councilmembers Robert Curran (District 3), Bill Henry (District 4), Warren Branch (District 13), and Mary Pat Clarke (District 14) joined Kraft in voting favorably.

The bill now moves to the full 15-member Council, with a vote expected during Monday's session. Ten councilmembers joined Kraft as cosponsors on the legislation.

Baltimore considers a polystyrene ban

The Baltimore City Council is currently debating a measure that would ban polystyrene food containers in food service establishments. The ban would be a first among large East Coast cities, although similar proposals are being debated in New York and Boston. Many large West Coast cities, including Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, have already banned polystyrene. This is an exciting opportunity for Baltimore to lead the East Coast on an important environmental issue.

What is polystyrene? Many people know polystyrene foam by the trademarked name Styrofoam, but Styrofoam is just one brand name for one type of polystyrene. There are many other brands and types, including both foams and regular plastics. For example, polystyrene is commonly used in disposable plastic forks and spoons, plastic plates and cups, straws, and takeout containers. Anything with the recycling number 6 is polystyrene; it’s one of the most commonly used materials for disposable foodware.

What’s the problem? Polystyrene is also one of the most common components of litter pollution. A 2008 study found that fully 25% of trash in the Jones Falls in Baltimore was polystyrene foam containers. In large, open waterways, the composition is often higher: head down to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and you’re guaranteed to see bits and pieces of foam cups, plastic forks, and takeout containers bobbing along the waterfront.

This litter pollution makes Baltimore look dirty, invites crime, and harms wildlife. Polystyrene never biodegrades, but breaks down into small pieces which are consumed by marine life. Birds, turtles, and marine mammals can die from ingesting large amounts of this plastic. There are also emerging concerns that eating food out of polystyrene may be harmful to human health.

Unfortunately, polystyrene is very difficult and not economical to recycle. That’s why many cities are using bans to eliminate polystyrene.

Littered polystyrene containers, like this one in the Inner Harbor, are dangerous to wildlife. 
(Photo: Baltimore Harborkeeper)

Will it cost more? You’ll often hear opponents of the ban talk about how it’s going to raise costs for consumers. In reality, the increased cost will only add a few cents to the price of a meal. What opponents don’t mention is the enormous cost that we are already paying to pick up polystyrene trash. Baltimore City alone spends $10 million every year on litter cleanup (and even so, there’s still tons of trash around the city!) The Baltimore Waterfront Partnership, an alliance of businesses in the Inner Harbor, spends an additional $300,000 in private funds just to clean litter in the harbor. The polystyrene industry is getting a pretty good deal by making us clean up their trash, and they would like us to continue footing the bill.

What’s more, Baltimore Harbor was recently declared to be “impaired” by trash under the Clean Water Act. That means Baltimore is legally required to reduce the amount of trash in the water. If we don’t, we will have to pay hefty fines to the federal government. So, we’re all paying one way or another -- either a few cents upfront for alternative containers, or after the fact, to clean up cheap polystyrene containers in our streets and streams. Why not cut the problem off at the source? As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Will it work? Nearly 50 cities around the US have successfully banned polystyrene food containers, with positive results. Polystyrene bans are spurring demand, innovation, and competition in other materials, which will ultimately reduce the cost of alternatives. Eventually, we anticipate that most food service containers will be recyclable or compostable, further reducing the cost for Baltimore to haul them away as garbage.

Some of you may remember when McDonalds made the big jump from polystyrene foam hamburger boxes to the paper wrappers they have today. When the change was first proposed, there was a tremendous uproar. The public couldn’t imagine buying hamburgers wrapped in paper. But of course, it wasn’t a big deal -- now we all expect to get sandwiches wrapped in paper, and hamburger-wrapper litter has declined dramatically. Let’s hope that Baltimore council members have the vision and courage to do the same for the rest of our polystyrene food containers!

Call your councilmember, and Council President Jack Young, today. Find their phone numbers here.

-by Bradley Kennedy

Montgomery County Council considers changing a policy that works

As the 25th Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup wraps up, we reflect back on the last couple of months of citizen action against litter. 14,238 volunteers at 616 sites, removed 574,000 lbs of trash including 193,800 beverage containers and 27,200 plastic bags from our Watershed in April. I attended several cleanup sites in Virginia this year, excited to check out places in my Watershed that I had not been to before. As I was sorting my beverage containers and collecting candy bar wrappers, I was also paying close attention to the plastic bags.

You see, over on the Maryland side of the river we have a five-cent disposable bag fee in Montgomery County that works to tackle one of our common sources of litter -- single use plastic bags. However, County Council Members have proposed an amendment to this policy that would exempt restaurants and all businesses where food is less than 2% of the gross sales. This proposed amendment to the bag fee policy will be difficult to enforce and has the potential to exempt some critical businesses. As I was tracking the plastic bags in Virginia, I found, just as I suspected, that all types of plastic bags are littered -- department stores, electronics store, hardware store, and boutiques. We must prevent this amendment from moving forward so we do not reverse the County’s efforts to end litter.

The hearing on this amendment is June 18. I urge you to please send letters and make phone calls to Council Members as well as send out Action Alerts to your friends, family, members, and volunteers. Every voice will be needed to prevent the amendment from passing. If you have any photos of littered plastic bags where you can clearly see the name of the business -- please send to lchamberlin@fergusonfoundation.org. Focus on stores that might be exempt with the amendment such as hardware stores, gas stations, department stores, and dollar stores.

To help you craft your message to Council Members here are a few talking points:

• Thank you for passing the bag fee legislation, ensuring that Montgomery County continues to lead the way for environmental change.
• The bag fee has been very helpful in reminding me to bring reusable bags to all the stores that I shop in, including department stores (hardware store, boutiques, etc).
• Even when I forget my bag and I choose to buy one, I don’t mind because I know that the money will go to support environmental projects.
• Many of the department stores I shop in even sell reusable bags, showing that they support their customers changing their behavior and using less disposable bags.
• I’m also thrilled to see my friends and neighbors refusing the unnecessary disposable bags at the store. (This is a great place to share personal anecdotes from your shopping experiences)
• And the intent of the legislation, to reduce litter, has been successful. We are seeing less plastic bags in our communities and waterways.

- by Laura Chamberlin, Alice Ferguson Foundation
Cross-posted from AFF's blog

Our statement about the bag fee's failure

On Saturday, March 23, the Economic Matters Committee of the Maryland House of Delegates voted down a measure that would have enabled counties to establish a 5-cent fee on disposable bags. The vote, 14-9 on a motion for an unfavorable report, effectively ended the possibility of passing a statewide bag law in 2013.

The Community Cleanup and Greening Act (HB 1086) originally proposed to enact the fee statewide, for the purpose of encouraging shoppers to replace disposable plastic and paper bags with reusable bags, reducing litter and improving county recycling streams. The Environmental Matters Committee passed the amended bill on Friday, March 22, by a vote of 17-4.

The bill was sponsored by Delegates Mary Washington (D-District 43, Baltimore City) and Michael Summers (D-District 47, Prince George's County), with 32 additional cosponsors. A companion bill in the Senate was sponsored by Senators Jamie Raskin (D-District 20, Montgomery County) and Brian Frosh (D-District 16, Montgomery County).

"We are very disappointed in the outcome," said Julie Lawson, Director of the Trash Free Maryland Alliance. "Our team, from grassroots activists to the bill's sponsors, ran an effective campaign and achieved a lot of momentum. We were very close to passing this bill and giving counties a tool they need to reduce pollution."

The committee vote came a day after a dramatic debate over the transportation fund on the House floor. Following the controversy, delegates who had previously expressed support for the bill flipped their positions.

"We are very grateful to Chairwoman Maggie McIntosh, Chairman Dereck Davis, and Speaker Mike Busch for their support in getting the bill so far," added Lawson. "Trash Free Maryland looks forward to continuing to work with them on ways to clean up Maryland's neighborhoods and waterways."

*****

The Trash Free Maryland Alliance is a network of 60 organizations, businesses, and activists committed to reducing litter in Maryland, by pursuing policies at the state and local level.