Sec. 19-150. Legislative Intent

The County Council adopted the Prince George's County FY 2017-2026 Comprehensive Ten Year Solid Waste Management Plan on May 2, 2017.

The County Solid Waste goals set forth in the Plan are to: concentrate future growth, prioritize and focus resources, build on strengths and assets, create choice communities, connect neighborhoods and significant places and protect and value our natural resources. Recycling and re-use of materials are a significant part of the Plan.

There is a growing trend among local jurisdictions to ban or significantly reduce the use of non-compostable straws and stirrers as a measure towards more sound environmentally sustainable activities. Plastic straws are a component of roadside and marine litter. Plastic straws have a detrimental negative impact on the waterways and Oceans. Many of those end up in our streams and Oceans, polluting the water and killing marine life.

Various County watershed protection and environmental organizations have advocated for reducing or eliminating the use of non-compostable straws and stirrers to help address serious stream degradation in the County, including the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for trash in the Anacostia River.

The County Council of Prince George's County concludes that it is in the public interest to join in this effort by prohibiting the use of non-compostable straws and stirrers in Food Service or Retail businesses located in Prince George's County, under certain circumstances.