UPDATE: County Executive Olszewski has vetoed the legislation.

Original story below…

TOWSON, MD—The Baltimore County Council on Monday evening amended the Bring Your Own Bag Act, which is set to go into effect on November 1st.

The County Council voted to exempt liquor from the bag ban, allowing customers to avoid $0.05 charge for reusable bags if they use plastic bags that match a certain thickness.

The council also clarified the definition of “reusable carryout bags” and “paper carryout bags.”   Now, a “reusable carryout bag” isn’t required to have stitched handles. The plastic bag can also be thinner – meaning at least 2.25 mils thick.

Fifth District Councilman David Marks sponsored the February bill, clarifying that customers wouldn’t need to pay for certain kinds of paper bags, such as those used by pharmacists to package prescription drugs or those used to package bulk food items.

Despite the many risks associated with reusable bags, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski on Monday evening said he plans to veto the council’s amendments, issuing the following statement:

One million plastic bags are distributed every day in Baltimore County.

That’s 242 million plastic bags – many of which continue to litter our trees, waterways, and neighborhoods in the eight months since I stood alongside Councilmembers to sign landmark, bipartisan legislation to reduce plastic bag waste in our communities.

Now, with two weeks until this policy is set to start, the same Council has just voted to significantly walk back the very law they championed—while sowing public confusion in the process.

I have made it abundantly clear that I oppose any effort to weaken the existing law and undermine the public education and implementation efforts already underway.

Collectively, these bills are a clear step backwards for Baltimore County and I will veto them.

In a poll earlier this year, more than two-thirds of NottinghamMD.com readers opposed the bag ban.