State Reps Will Push Washington-Wide Plastic Bag Bill

EDMONDS, WA — The former Edmonds city councilor who championed the first plastic bag ban ordinance in the state this week said he will send up a bill in the state legislature to push for a Washington-wide reusable bag initiative.

Now a State Representative for Washington's 21st District, Strom Peterson of Edmonds will reportedly join Sen. Kevin Ranker of Orcas Island to address plastic bag pollution and recycling issues during the first legislative session of 2019.

"Right now, there are more than 86 million metric tons of plastic in our oceans and the equivalent of five grocery bags of plastic trash for every foot of coastline spills into the oceans annually," Ranker said in a statement. "We must lead with bold progressive action to stop plastic waste from ending up in our oceans."

Nearly 10 years ago, Peterson led the fight in his hometown of Edmonds.

"The problem of plastic bags has only gotten worse since then," he said. "They are causing a major contamination problem in our recycling and compost streams."

More than 20 other cities in Washington have enacted similar plastic bag bans since Peterson blazed the trail, and the reusable bag bill from Peterson and Ranker will reportedly build off those other local ordinances.

The bill is already supported by a plethora of organizations, including the Northwest Grocery Association.

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