Statewide Plastic Bag Ban Goes Into Effect January 1

Press release from the City of Gig Harbor:

December 9, 2020

Effective Jan. 1, 2021, Washington state will:

• Prohibit single-use plastic carryout bags in all retail and grocery stores, restaurants, takeout establishments, festivals, and markets.
• Require an 8-cent charge for all recycled content paper carryout bags and reusable carryout bags made of film plastic.
• The fee may not be collected from anyone using a voucher or electronic benefits card issued under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Food Assistance Program (FAP).
• Require a minimum of 40 percent post-consumer recycled content and meet composting requirements in all retail-provided paper bags.
• Require that a reusable bag made of plastic film contain 20 percent post-consumer recycled content and be at least 2.25 mil thick.
• Require compliant paper and reusable plastic film bags to be labeled with the above specifications
• Create consistent policy and fees across the state.
• This ban does not apply to food banks and food assistance programs, however, those programs are encouraged to take actions to reduce the use of single-use plastic carryout bags.

For more details, please visit the Department of Ecology's website.

On March 27, the City suspended it "Bring Your Own Bag" Ordinance until the end of COVID-19 emergency. This state law will override the City's ordinance and single-use plastic bags will be prohibited again starting on January 1.

The City's Single Use Food Serviceware and Litter Reduction Ordinance remains in place, but the ordinance is suspended for the remainder of the COVID-19 emergency.

This press release was produced by the City of Gig Harbor. The views expressed here are the author’s own.