Jan 19 – WA- Two Bag Bans Introduced in Washington State Legislature

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Riding on the wave of the successful bag bans emerging from Washington State (Bellingham, Mukilteo, and most recently Seattle all passed local single-use bag ordinances), lawmakers have introduced statewide bills on the issue in Washington State.

Representatives Joe Fitzgibbon and Marko Liias introduced HB 1887, which similar to the local WA bag ordinances, bans single-use plastic bags and places a 5 cent minimum price requirement on paper bags. According to this Plastic News article, the bill will be heard in an environmental committee on January 20.

In the Washington State Senate, Senators Maralyn Chase and Adam Kline have also introduced SB 5780, which bans non-compostable plastic bags.

In California, AB 1998 author Assembly Member Julia Brownley and other advocates for a single-use bag bill in our state continue to support similar efforts at the local level, while considering options for a potential statewide policy.

So which state will become the first in the nation to pass a statewide bag ban? It's not clear yet who the winner will be, but we do note that several West coast states, including CA, have come close in recent years. Stay tuned on our website.

For a list of local bag ordinances in the country, or more information on plastic bag pollution, visit our website. Join our listserve for updates on plastic pollution, or support our work on this issue and make a donation today.