Here's why plastic bag fees go up in WA in 2026
OLYMPIA, Wash. - plastic bag
Unpacking study on WA's plastic bag use
Washington's plastic bag fee is going up next year, meant to reduce the state's reliance on plastic while promoting a greener lifestyle. But a study suggests it's up for debate whether or not it's working.
A slew of new laws are going into effect on January 1 in Washington. One of them is a plastic bag fee increase. While the costs rise, studies are showing so is total plastic waste.
In an effort to curb plastic waste in the state, the cost of taking carry out bags will increase from 8 cents to 12 cents. The minimum charge for paper bags, however, will remain at 8 cents per bag.
The backstory:
A law passed in 2020 set out to curb single-use plastic bags in Washington, encouraging shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to places like grocery stores or convenience stores to avoid added costs.
Beginning in 2021, the ban prohibits thin, .5 mil disposable plastic bags and sets standards for thicker, 2.25 mil reusable plastic film bags. Additionally, the law mandates that both plastic and paper carryout bags contain at least 40% recycled content.
The other side:
While retailers have reported a decrease in the number of bags leaving their stores since the law went into effect in the Evergreen State, opponents of the law point to another side of the policy.
While fewer bags are leaving the stores, a WSU report found the total plastic use by weight has increased by 17%, even though the number of bags heading out the door dropped 50% between 2021 and 2022.
This is because, in addition to the fees, another effort to curb environmental waste was to make the plastic bags that are available to shoppers both thicker and heavier so they are strong enough to be reused.
However, if shoppers are discarding them right away anyway, this increases the total amount of plastic hitting landfills.
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