Prince George's County, Maryland is looking to ban or tax plastic bags.

Prince George's County in Maryland is pushing for a tax or ban on plastic grocery bags.

The community is looking to join a number of local governments in the US, which are seeking alternatives such as paper bags or cotton bags to reduce litter or generate extra revenue from taxes.

Lawmakers from the state are hoping to push a bill in next year's General Assembly, Washington Times reports, which would see a five cent tax per bag at stores in the county.

This follows similar rules in place in neighbouring Montgomery County.

The movement began in 2007 in San Francisco, when the city launched America's first plastic bag ban, a trend which has spread along the west coast and through the north-east of the country.

However, despite progress many residents and businesses need a little more persuasion as to why such regulations are a wise decision.

In Seattle, for example, council member Mike O'Brien, who authored the city's law banning bags at groceries, department stores and other retailers, expressed how the scheme, which took effect on July 1st 2012, was hugely beneficial.

"We think this [the ban] is a much more environmentally sustainable approach, and it's much more cost-effective. Plastic bags have some very negative impacts on our waterways. It's not horrific pollution out there, but it's visible to the eye," the newspaper reports Mr O'Brien as stating.

Currently in the US there are no statewide laws, however, there are numerous cities and counties who have embraced a plastic bag prohibition or charging policy.

In particular, residents of these communities are being encouraged to move towards reusable cotton shopping bags and away from disposable plastic ones, which often end up causing litter and pollution.

Prince George's County's planned bag tax proposals have not been welcomed, with many shoppers claiming that they already use fabric bags and do not need laws to enforce their use.

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