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Plastic Free QAC presents survey data and urges countywide single-use carryout bag ban
Summary
Plastic Free Queen Anne's County presented five survey data points showing high public support in Centerville for a single-use carryout plastic bag ban and urged commissioners to consider extending Centerville's ordinance countywide.
Ben Tacuni Lee, founder of Plastic Free QAC, presented five survey data sources at the Feb. 25 Queen Anne's County commissioners meeting and urged the commission to consider a countywide single-use carryout plastic bag ban.
Key survey findings Lee reported: - Shopper observations in Centerville grocery stores (post-ordinance): 80% of shoppers used reusable bags or no bags, compared with about 13% reusable/no-bag use in February 2020. Lee said only about 19.1% of shoppers in Centerville purchased paper bags priced at 10 cents. - A “shoppers attitude” intercept survey (free reusable-bag giveaway) showed 75.4% support for a countywide ban, 12.9% opposed and 11.7% neutral. - A door-to-door survey of 29 Centerville businesses found strong support: Lee reported 23 of 29 businesses said they would support a countywide ban, 2 were neutral and 3 opposed. - A countywide business sample (excluding Centerville) of 93 businesses found 72 already using paper bags, 17 using a mixture of paper and plastic, and four planning to switch when plastic stocks were exhausted. - Plastic Free QAC also identified a coalition of 21 businesses, farms and organizations willing to support a countywide ordinance.
Lee said initial friction in Centerville had largely dissipated and presented the data as evidence that both businesses and shoppers adapted to a local bag ordinance. He closed by saying the coalition was prepared to assist with outreach and urged commissioners to consider countywide action.
Commissioner questions and follow-up: Commissioners asked about the survey’s coverage of major grocery chains (Acme and Food Lion) and whether the results included those stores; Lee said his teams had targeted stores and managers but noted corporate-level restrictions at national chains could complicate shop-floor engagement. Lee said his team would provide more survey documentation included in the meeting packet.
Why it matters: Expanding a municipal bag ordinance to the entire county would change retail practices and could require implementation steps (enforcement, business outreach, and public education). Lee requested the board consider an ordinance introduction but the meeting did not include a formal county ordinance vote.
