When Washington, DC created its 5-cent bag fee in 2009, the “Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act” was groundbreaking throughout the nation. It was designed both to cut down on plastic bag litter and to fund the restoration of the Anacostia River—a waterway that had suffered from decades of pollution. At the time, plastic bags were one of the river’s most visible problems. The bag fee tackled this problem at its source by reducing the number of bags distributed and creating a dedicated fund to reinvest in the watershed.
The results were immediate. Bag use dropped by more than 60% in the first few years, and residents quickly shifted to carrying reusable bags. Anacostia Riverkeeper (ARK) data showed a decrease in plastic bags found in riverside cleanups and trash traps
Yet the fund’s true strength lies in how it empowers local organizations. Through DOEE grants, these funds have empowered nonprofits like Anacostia Riverkeeper and many others. These projects included many community programs, including installing trash traps in tributaries, organizing community cleanups, installing green infrastructure to reduce stormwater pollution, and providing education and recreation along the banks of the Anacostia River. Together, these initiatives have had a measurable impact on the river’s health and built lasting connections between residents and their waterways. The bag fee is not only a litter-reduction toolbut also a civic engagement model that has created opportunities for residents to protect and experience their river directly.
Despite the Bag Fee & the Anacostia River Cleanup Fund’s clear purpose, it has repeatedly faced attempts to siphon off its dollars for unrelated needs. When funding is diverted, nonprofit programs lose stability. Cleanups, trash traps, and education campaigns shrink. Residents lose opportunities to engage, and progress toward a cleaner river slows. While the community successfully rallied to protect the fund within the FY26 DC Budget, the fund was eventually redirected to other DOEE expenditures, leaving critical community programs such as Anacostia River Explorer’s Boat Tours, Trash Trap Maintenance, and Community Water Quality unfunded in FY26. As we approach the FY27 budget, these bag fee funds must be brought back to the river and to the community programs they were intended to support.
At Anacostia Riverkeeper, we know how transformative this fund has been. Our trash traps have prevented thousands of pounds of litter from entering the Anacostia River. We are calling on the DC Council to amend the Bag Fee law to strengthen protections for the Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund. The fund should be locked in as a true community resource, not a flexible revenue source for agency priorities or general government needs. Every dollar must remain dedicated to programs run by nonprofits, schools, and community groups that directly serve the river and its residents.
The Anacostia River is finally on a path to recovery, but we are not there yet. Protecting this fund means keeping faith with the original promise of the bag fee: that every nickel collected is a step toward a cleaner, healthier, more just river for all District residents. Now is the time for the DC Council to act and ensure the promise is kept.
