Plastic bag ban takes effect in Everett

EVERETT, Wash. -- Shoppers in Everett will notice some big changes starting Monday (Sept. 30), when the city's ban on single-use plastic bags takes effect.

The Everett City Council passed the ban in December. It prohibits businesses from distributing plastic bags and calls for a 5-cent charge for each reusable paper bag that customers take with them.

The rules are similar to the laws already in place in surrounding cities like Seattle, Tacoma and Olympia. The trend started in 2009, when Edmonds became the first city in western Washington to ban plastic bags

A statewide ban on plastic bags passed the state Senate this past spring, but it was killed in the House.