Washington's Plastic Bag Ban Goes Into Effect Friday

OLYMPIA, WA - After multiple delays, Washington state's ban on single-use plastic bags will go into effect this Friday, Oct. 1.

The ban, which outlaws single-use plastic bags in favor of recyclable paper bags or thick, reusable plastic bags, was approved by state legislature in 2020 and had been set to begin at the start of 2021, but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last December, Gov. Jay Inslee signed a proclamation postponing the bag ban, saying that the pandemic had caused supply chain issues which meant the state would not have enough paper or reusable plastic bags by the time the ban went into effect.

Now that those issues have been largely resolved, the governor says it's time for the ban to begin in earnest, and has rescinded his emergency proclamation.

The move means that, as of Friday:

• Single-use plastic bags will be prohibited in all retail and grocery stores, restaurant takeout, festivals and markets.
• Stores can instead offer large paper carryout bags, or thick reusable plastic carryout bags for an 8 cent fee each.
  • Those fees do not apply to those paying for food through food stamps or assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Food Assistance Program (FAP).
  • Paper bags also have to be made of at least 40 percent recycled materials. Reusable plastic bags have to contain at least 20 percent recycled materials and be at least 2.25 mil thick.

The ban does not apply to food banks or food assistance programs, though the law does encourage them to consider more environment-friendly options.

Customers who see businesses breaking the rules and offering single-use bags after the ban will be able to file a report, after which the Department of Ecology says they will try to help the business transition to recyclable bags.

Washingtonians use 2 billion single-use plastic bags every year. Ecologists say not only are they hard to recycle, they're dangerous for the environment and particularly for marine animals, so they believe swapping to reusable or recyclable bags will offer a better alternative.