# 114-hr-3977: Trash Reduction Act of 2015

114-hr-3977, Trash Reduction Act of 2015, is a 114th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (D-CA); status Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3977
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 114-hr-3977
- Congress: 114
- Title: Trash Reduction Act of 2015
- Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans.
- Introduced: 2015-11-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Lowenthal, Alan S. [D-CA-47] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 10
- Policy area: Taxation
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

Trash Reduction Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require retailers to pay a $0.10 excise tax on each carryout bag provided to a consumer. A "carryout bag" means a bag of any material, commonly plastic or kraft paper, which is provided to a consumer at the point of sale to carry or cover purchases, merchandise, or other items. Reusable bags and certain other bags used for specified purposes are exempt from such tax. The bill allows retailers who establish a qualified plastic carryout bag recycling program a rebate for each recyclable bag used by the retailer. The bill establishes the Carryout Bag Trust Fund to hold tax revenues generated by this Act and directs the Department of the Treasury to make payments from such Trust Fund for the qualified plastic carryout bag recycling program and to the Land and Water Conservation Fund established by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965. The Government Accountability Office must study and report to Congress on the effectiveness of this Act in reducing the use of carryout bags and encouraging recycling of such bags.

## Cosponsors (10)

- Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] (D-OR), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- SAM FARR (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lee, Barbara [D-CA-12] (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2015-11-05T00:00:00.000Z
- MICHAEL HONDA (D-CA), 2015-11-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA), 2015-11-17T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2016-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2016-02-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-8] (D-PA), 2016-03-02T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 114-hr-5044: Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 to respond to Zika virus.
- 114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act
- 114-hr-4479: Families of Flint Act
- 114-hr-4269: Assault Weapons Ban of 2015
- 114-hr-4215: CLEANER Act of 2015
- 114-hr-3706: Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015

## Sources
- [114-hr-3977 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/3977)

## Related
- [114-hr-5044: Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 to respond to Zika viru…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-5044)
- [114-hr-4592: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4592)
- [114-hr-4479: Families of Flint Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4479)
- [114-hr-4269: Assault Weapons Ban of 2015](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4269)
- [114-hr-4215: CLEANER Act of 2015](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-4215)
- [114-hr-3706: Reach Every Mother and Child Act of 2015](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3706)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/114-hr-3977 (as of 2025-11-18).