They flutter in trees, clog storm drains and drift along the James River — and starting next year, plastic bags will come with a price in Richmond.

Richmond shoppers will have to pay 5 cents for each disposable plastic bag they use beginning Jan. 1, following a vote by City Council on Monday approving the new tax.

Six council members voted in favor the proposal during their Monday evening meeting, with 6th and 8th District council members Ellen Robertson and Reva Trammell voting against it and 9th District council member Nicole Jones abstaining.

“I’ve come a long way on the bag tax policy from where I started,” said Stephanie Lynch, 5th District, who spoke about seeing bags littering neighborhoods and polluting the James River.

“We are not doing very well as a city on being clean and in keeping our environment tidy, which impacts everything else,” she said.

This is the latest plastic bag tax implemented in Virginia after legislation approved during the 2020 General Assembly session authorized localities to adopt such taxes and provided legislative guidelines.

The tax will apply to disposable bags provided in Richmond grocery stores, convenience stores and drugstores.

The tax will have a revenue split 20%-80% between retailers and the City, and will be included alongside other costs when customers purchase items.

All City revenue from the tax will be used for environmental education programs and cleanup, mitigating pollution and litter, providing reusable bags for SNAP and Women, Infants and Children Program recipients, or other purposes authorized under state law.

City analysis expects the tax to generate about $400,000 in revenue in its first year, and between $100,000 and $150,000 each year after. The tax won’t apply to durable, reusable plastic bags; waste disposal bags; or bags used for prescription drugs, dry cleaning, and unwrapped or perishable foods.

While supporters of the tax expressed optimism about its environmental benefits, opponents voiced concerns about the pressure it could place on residents.

  

Trammell cautioned the added cost could strain seniors on fixed incomes, while Robertson raised concerns about the impact on residents already facing economic inequities and a high cost of living, saying it might drive them to shop outside Richmond.

“Who’s going to pay the most are going to be the communities that we’ve neglected all along that don’t have a quality grocery store,” Robertson said. “We’re missing the inequitable burden.”

Richmond Office of Sustainability Director Laura Thomas addressed these and other concerns during the council discussion, noting that some retailers might choose to absorb the tax cost themselves.

Officials plan to use the six months before the tax goes into effect for outreach and education efforts with Richmond businesses and the community.

In other council business Monday evening, council members unanimously appointed Foster Curtiss as interim inspector general after his previous role as the Office of Inspector General’s investigations manager.

However, the vote was preceded by a dispute between Trammell and Council President Cynthia Newbille over how the council handled the removal of former Inspector General Jim Osuna last month.