In This Issue...
-
Board Delays Considering Plastic Bag Tax – At the Environmental Committee meeting last week, I urged the Board not to move forward with a plastic bag tax for a number of reasons including that it is a new tax while so many of our residents are struggling with the impacts of the pandemic, that it will disproportionally affect lower income residents, we have no data to validate the basis of the tax, and the nature of the regulations is confusing. I recommended that the County instead focus on the real issue which is litter and better ways to recycle these highly recyclable bags.
-
Ban on Plastic Bags for Yard Waste Moves to Public Hearing – At the January 26, 2021 Board meeting, the Board will vote to authorize a public hearing on if the county should ban plastic bags for yard waste. In my February newsletter I shared with you my concerns about the Board’s proposed ban on plastic bags for yard waste. Since February, over 1,200 residents in Fairfax County responded to my survey on this issue with the overwhelming majority not in favor of a ban. See my update on the survey and proposed ban below.
-
COVID Update/Mass Vaccination Preparation Underway – The number of COVID cases and COVID-related deaths have increased as the weather continues to get colder, families are gathering for the holidays, and pandemic fatigue has set in. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. Below I share some of the new information the county has released on COVID data, the vaccine and the preparation for mass vaccinations. I encourage all residents to follow the science, act responsibly and work together to prevent the spread of COVID, support our residents and local businesses who are struggling, and work to get our children back in school where the health experts say they need to be. I also want to continue to recognize and thank all our first responders, medical personnel, health department personnel, as well as those working retail and many others that continue to do their part to make sure our lives and economy are not further impacted despite the risk.
Other News & Information
- Holiday Lights Competition
- Springfield Land Use Committee Meeting: Autumn Willow (Tuesday, 1/12)
- Made in Fairfax: Your Holiday Gift Guide
- Awareness: Puppy Scams
- COVID-19 and Flu Testing Available through INOVA
- Express Lanes Grant Program
- New GreenDrop Donation Center in Greenbriar Shopping Center
- Looking for work? Weekend Contact Interviewers Wanted
- On the Lighter Side
- Four-Legged Friend of the Month: Oliver
|
Board Delays Considering Plastic Bag Tax – At the Environmental Committee meeting last week, I urged the Board not to move forward with a plastic bag tax for a number of reasons including that it is a new tax while so many of our residents are struggling with the impacts of the pandemic, it will disproportionally affect lower income residents, we have no data to validate the basis of the tax, and the nature of the regulations is confusing. I recommended that the Board instead focus on the real issue which is litter and better ways to recycle these highly recyclable bags.
Thankfully, the Board agreed for various reasons that this tax is not ready to move forward. Some of my colleagues agreed they could not support a new tax on our residents at this time. Others agreed the tax was not ready to move forward because they wanted clarification on the ordinance language. The Board agreed to delay the tax, but it will come back before the Board next year with clarification on the ordinance language. For that reason, I wanted to share with you why I find the tax itself problematic and a solution I have been working on with staff.
First, while the County is preparing to rollout a mass vaccination effort as soon as possible, many of our residents and our economy will be feeling the impact of the pandemic for some time. Now is clearly the wrong time to be adding to our residents’ tax burden. In addition, this tax will disproportionally affect our lower income residents who are already vulnerable. For residents who have lost jobs, businesses, homes and loved ones, discussing a bag tax on top of rising homeowner taxes for the last five years is completely inappropriate. The cost of implementation for our Department of Tax Administration will add to the FY 2022 budget, which is already looking at a massive shortfall.
Second, scientific data to support the problem this tax is supposed to address is lacking. In previous discussions, my colleagues have cited a primary reason for the tax to be the presence of microplastics in our waterways. However, at last year’s Chesapeake Bay Program’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee workshop entitled “Microplastics in the Chesapeake Bay and its Watershed: State of the Knowledge, Data Gaps, and Relationship to Management Goals” experts did not have data to support that. Their report indicates they have insufficient knowledge as to the risks to human health or the environment from micro or nano plastics and insufficient knowledge as to the degree of contamination in tributaries and the Bay. At best, the Committee recommended research into the subject. While they did suggest additional study - they did not recommend any prophylactic or regulatory measures.
In addition, studies on reducing plastic bag use show that bans and taxes can be effective in curbing use of plastic grocery bags but have many unintended consequences that are worse for the environment in the long run. When people are deterred from using plastic grocery bags, they compensate with paper bags and ordering small plastic bags. The carbon footprint for both paper bags, requiring many trees and tons of water to process, and small, thick plastic bags are proven to be much more damaging to the environment than the misnomered “single-use” plastic bags many use as dog bags, lunch bags, and trash bags. In fact, research shows that plastic grocery bags have the smallest carbon footprint compared to paper, reusable cotton bags, and thicker plastic.
While all of this is true, we have all seen the unsightly loose plastic bag in a tree or worse impacting our wildlife. Sadly, litter is more a problem in our community than the plastic bags themselves. In the case of plastic bags, this is partially because there is not clear guidance on how to recycle or dispose of them. These grocery store bags are highly recyclable but like glass cannot be recycled in the single stream recycle bins. Like glass, if placed in these curbside bins they clog the machines that process single stream recycling, increase the cost of recycling and end up in a landfill. Unlike glass, there is already a current market for these plastic bags which are highly recyclable. Unfortunately, there are not currently good ways to recycle them as part of your weekly routine. They can be recycled at select grocery stores but more often than not the bins are full, limiting the number of bags that can actually be recycled.
I have already had conversations with County staff about the feasibility of a program similar to the glass recycling program and ways we can make plastic bag recycling more available to our residents. Staff are eager to make this work and if the glass recycling program is any indication, I know our residents are also eager for more ways to recycle. At the meeting I asked staff to give the Board an update on their efforts.
If residents do not want to engage in the effort to recycle these plastic grocery bags, then they should be placed in the regular trash bins. In Fairfax County all our regular trash is burned at the Covanta plant in Lorton to produce electricity.
I am also investigating a low-cost litter reduction program that has been very effective in other parts of Virginia that can help solve the real problem with plastic bags – improper disposal and littering.
|
Ban on Plastic Bags for Yard Waste Moves to Public Hearing – At the January 26, 2021 Board meeting, the Board will vote to authorize a public hearing on if the county should ban plastic bags for yard waste. Since February, over 1,200 residents in Fairfax County responded to my survey on this issue with the overwhelming majority not in favor of a ban. In my February newsletter, I shared with you my concerns about the Board’s proposed ban on plastic bags for yard waste. These concerns include issues raised by me and other Board members that have yet to be addressed like how this ban will affect illegal dumping, the prohibitive cost of paper bags versus plastic, the durability of paper bags against rain when sitting on the street, and the extent of community outreach to our residents as well as the landscaping industry.
The survey I sent out for County residents in March overwhelming showed that most people do not want a ban on plastic bags for yard waste, even if they sometimes choose to use paper over plastic. Of the 1,284 respondents to date, only 13 percent (115 people) wanted a ban on plastic bags for yard waste. Close to 80 percent of respondents were either opposed to a ban, opposed to a ban but want the County to encourage alternatives to plastic bags or want more information to be gathered to address community concerns before a decision is made.
One common complaint my office has heard about this ban is that paper bags are difficult to use for significant yard waste, especially for our older adults. For some, alternatives to plastic bags for yard waste is less of a lift, but for others especially in the downzoned areas, this ban is a significant concern.
I encourage you to share your feedback on this issue with my office as well as the rest of the Board so we can collect more community feedback. You can share your feedback with the entire Board by emailing ClerktotheBOS@fairfaxcounty.gov.
Once the Board votes at the January meeting to authorize the public hearing, you will be able to sign up to speak here.
If you have not taken my two-minute survey, I invite you to take it here.
|
COVID Update/Mass Vaccination Preparation Underway
The number of COVID cases and deaths where COVID was a factor have increased as the weather continues to get colder, families are gathering for the holidays, and pandemic fatigue has set in. On Friday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. Below I share some of the new information the County has released on COVID data, the vaccine and the preparation for mass vaccinations. I encourage all residents to follow the science, act responsibly and work together to prevent the spread of COVID, support our residents and local businesses who are struggling, and work to get our children back in school where the health experts say they need to be. I also want to continue to recognize and thank all of our first responders, medical personnel, health department personnel, as well as those working retail and many others that continue to do their part to make sure our lives and economy are not further impacted despite personal risk.
The County health department updates their COVID dashboard on a regular basis and now includes information on contact tracing as well as guidance on quarantining, preventing the spread and where to get help. The older adult community remains the hardest hit demographic in the County representing over 96 percent of COVID-related deaths. To date we have not had any COVID-related deaths in the under 17 population.
Health experts continue to say that the overall health risks for students out of school is far greater than their risk of COVID in school. I continue to be disappointed that our schools still have no published plan to offer an in-person option for our students despite recent reports on the failures of virtual learning and the success of in-person programs at private schools in Fairfax County, other school districts in Virginia, and throughout the country.. One encouragement is that some school sports and activities have resumed, which I hope will give students the opportunity to be reenergized at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult year. I am hoping our School Board directs the school system to provide a plan for an in-person option after winter break based on the CDC recommendations and guidance. This plan needs to include robust measures (PPE, temperature checks, socials distancing where possible, etc.) to keep our teachers and students as safe as possible.
County staff have been preparing for months begin the mass vaccination effort as soon as vaccines become available. In the coming month and into the new year, the County will be sharing with residents how and when you can get a vaccine. According to the CDC and Virginia Department of Health guidelines, priority will be given to vaccinating high risk health care workers and first responders, followed by our most at-risk population with significant comorbid conditions and the elderly.
Below are a few facts about the mRNA vaccine from our health department about how this vaccine differs from many other vaccines:
- The mRNA vaccine cannot give someone COVID-19.
- mRNA vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19.
- The vaccine does not affect or interact with our DNA in any way.
- mRNA never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA (genetic makeup) is kept.
If you’re interested in learning more about mRNA vaccines, see this blog from our health department.
|
Other News & Information...
Vote for the Best Holiday Lights Displays
The results for the 2020 Holiday Lights competition are in and it’s time to vote! Winners for the categories of Most Creative, Simple Elegance, Best Use of Theme, Community Pick and Supervisors Pick will win a $100 gift card to one of our local restaurants. Winners will be announced by December 23rd so grab your kids to enjoy an online tour of some of the great holiday lights in the county and vote on your favorites here!
|
Springfield Land Use Committee Meeting: Autumn Willow - On Tuesday, January 12, the Springfield Land Use Committee will hold its third meeting virtually to hear the Autumn Willow land use case. Autumn Willow is a proposed senior housing facility to be located north of Lee Highway, east of Stringfellow Road, south of and fronting Autumn Willow Drive in Centreville This will be a decision only meeting. To request meeting login details, please email Michael Perez at michael.perez@fairfaxcounty.gov
Made in Fairfax: Your Holiday Gift Guide - Looking for memorable gifts that will also help support local, small businesses in Fairfax County? Look no further – the Made in Fairfax Holiday Gift guide has gifts for every occasion.
Awareness: Puppy Scams - As many of us are considering bringing a pet home for the holidays, be aware that scammers are also on the lookout for potential victims. Our police department recommends the following tips if you are in the market for a new pet to avoid being scammed:
- Don’t buy or put a deposit on a puppy without seeing it in person or through a video chat with the seller.
- Search the internet for a picture of the pet you are considering. If the same picture appears on multiple websites, you may be dealing with a scammer.
- Never pay a stranger with a money order or through cash apps. If possible, use a credit card in case you need to dispute the charges.
- Research prices for the breed you are interested in. If someone is advertising a purebred dog for free or at a deeply discounted price, you could be dealing with a scammer.
- Be wary of a seller who only communicates through email.
FCPD also recommends filing a report with the FBI’s Internet Crimes Complaint Center (IC3) at https://www.ic3.gov/ in case you have been scammed.
Remember, you can always find a pet at our animal shelter in need of a new home!
COVID-19 and Flu Testing Available through INOVA - If you would like to get tested for COVID-19 or the Flu, INOVA currently offers testing through vehicle-side testing and its respiratory clinics. The tests may also be accessed by visiting their urgent care clinics. For more information, please refer to the graphic below or visit this link.
|
Express Lanes Grant Program - Applications are currently being accepted for the 395 Express Lanes Anniversary Grant. This $15,000 grant will be awarded to an organization that helps local communities along the I 395 corridors. For more information and to apply, please see this link. Applications are due by December 31.
New GreenDrop Donation Center in Greenbriar Shopping Center - Last Saturday, I was able to participate in the ribbon cutting for the latest GreenDrop donation center in the Greenbriar Towne Center. GreenDrop accepts unwanted goods and is an efficient way to get rid of unwanted goods in your home. To find a GreenDrop location near you and obtain hours of operation, visit them at this link.
Looking for work? Weekend Contact Interviewers Wanted: Fairfax Health District is currently in the process of hiring weekend contact interviewers for the times from 9:30am-6pm for Friday-Monday shifts. For more information and to apply, please see this link.
|
On the Lighter Side: Remember when you “paid it forward?” At a Dairy Queen drive-thru in Minnesota more than 900 customers participated in a “pay it forward” chain that paid for 900 orders. To learn more, click here.
|
PHOTO CREDIT: Dairy Queen International
|
|
Email
Office
(703) 451-8873
Website
|
Four-Legged-Friend of the Month
|
Oliver is a super playful dog that needs a caring home that can accommodate his unique background! Oliver is nearly 2 years old and weighs 90 pounds. His previous owners could not take care of his medical needs, so he is looking for a new family that can! Oliver has a history of seizures and requires medication to manage them. He’s a very friendly dog and needs a special owner that can go the extra mile to make sure he takes his medication and stays healthy. To meet Oliver and schedule an in-person visit click here
|
|