Catching up: Richmond's plastic bag tax goes into effect on Jan. 1
What it is: Richmond’s plastic bag tax
Why you know it: Earlier this year, the City Council approved a 5-cent tax on most disposable plastic bags used by grocery, convenience and drug stores, joining 10 other local governments in Virginia that have already adopted such a charge.
Graham Moomaw
What's happening now
Richmonders will have to start ponying up for plastic bags this Jan. 1, when the tax officially goes into effect.
Ahead of that date, Mayor Danny Avula’s administration has been conducting outreach to retailers to make sure they are ready and distributing reusable bags to communities.
The city’s ordinance follows a taxation structure laid out by the General Assembly in a 2020 law that allowed local governments to adopt such a tax if they wanted to.
The 5-cent charge will be applied to disposable plastic bags used by grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores, although certain bags will be exempt from the tax.
Exemptions include durable plastic bags with handles that are specifically made to be reused and are at least 4 millimeters thick, plastic bags for dry cleaning or prescription drugs, bags “solely used to wrap, contain, or package ice cream, meat, fish, poultry, produce, unwrapped bulk food items, or perishable food items in order to avoid damage or contamination,” and bags sold in packages for garbage, pet waste or leaves.
Richmond’s Office of Sustainability has estimated that the tax will cost each resident about $2.12 and generate about $400,000 for the city annually.
The tax will be administered by the Virginia Department of Taxation based on self-reports by retailers and will then be directed back to Richmond, with 1 cent returned to the retailer and 4 cents to the city.
In line with rules laid out in state law, the city will put the tax revenues toward environmental cleanups, recycling and litter education programs and the distribution of reusable bags to people who receive SNAP or WIC benefits.
Contact Reporter Sarah Vogelsong at svogelsong@richmonder.org. This article has been updated to correct a typo.
