Bag ban begins in October

OLYMPIA – Washington’s statewide ban on single-use plastic bags begins Oct. 1 after a delay due to the COVID-19 emergency. The ban prohibits the distribution of single-use plastic carry-out bags by restaurants, retail, small vendor, and grocery stores.

The Washington State Department of Ecology said Washingtonians will begin to see fewer plastic bags littering the state’s roadsides, parks and streams once the statewide plastic bag ban goes into effect. The ban was originally scheduled to begin Jan. 1, but the limited availability of compliant bags prompted Gov. Jay Inslee to delay it.

“Single-use plastic bags are not easily recyclable, which makes managing them at the end of their lives almost impossible,” Ecology Solid Waste Management Program Manager Laurie Davies said.

Ecology recommends people invest in reusable bags for groceries or to carry out food from restaurants. Like any reusable item, reusable bags should be washed and properly stored after each use. If customers choose to use compliant plastic or paper bags offered by a merchant, the law requires the business charge eight cents per bag. That charge is not a tax; it is a sale kept entirely by the merchant to provide an incentive for customers to bring their own bags and to recoup the costs for the more durable compliant bags.

Food banks and pantries, and individuals receiving food stamps, WIC, SNAP, or other government assistance are not subject to the charge.

Photo via Washington Department of Ecology

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Elkhorn Media Group

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