Many District residents have become used to carrying reusable bags for shopping trips (or are prepared to pay five cents for a plastic or paper bag). Now Montgomery County seems to be next up in the effort to curb the prevalence of single-use shopping bags. As the Washington Business Journal reports, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett has proposed a nickel-per-bag fee that would, if approved, go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012. Like D.C.’s bag fee, revenue raised from the Montgomery County regulation would benefit local water protection efforts.

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