Washington banned thin, single-use plastic shopping bags in 2021. But since then, the state has seen an increase in plastics used for retail transactions. That’s due to a loophole allowing thicker plastic bags.

A proposal to fix this will go before lawmakers in January. The legislation was pre-filed in the House and Senate last month, and the first hearings are scheduled for Jan. 14 and 15.

When the statewide ban on the disposable plastic bags passed in 2020, the thicker bags were to be made with increasing amounts of recycled plastics — part of a compromise to continue allowing plastic bags. By law they must be designed to last for a minimum of 125 uses. But utilities monitoring the flow of plastics through the waste stream say that more often, they’re thrown away like disposables.

For communities that enthusiastically passed plastic bag bans in the 2000s, this proliferation has been confusing.

“For Seattle, this meant a complete resurgence in plastic bags in stores. And on top of that, the bags are now four times thicker than the previous thin plastic bags,” said Maggie Yuse, a legislative liaison for Seattle Public Utilities.

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A recent study from researchers at Washington State University showed that although the distribution of thin bags dropped by half in Washington, the total amount of plastic used went up 17%.

Additionally, Yuse said, the current system has incentivized many retail stores to push consumers to choose the thick plastic bags over paper. That’s because state reimburses stores eight cents for either product, but plastic costs the stores less to acquire.

“We are seeing in some stores that had previously offered only paper bags or offered customers a choice between paper and plastic, are actually eliminating the paper bags and only offering plastic at checkout,” said McKenna Morrigan, the waste prevention policy advisor for Seattle Public Utilities.

She believes the situation will get worse this year, when the plastic bag fee customers pay at the register increases to 12 cents, while the paper bag fee remains at eight cents. The state reimbursement rate for both will remain the same.

Jurisdictions like Seattle are pushing for a new statewide ban on these thicker bags. Yuse said she regularly hears from residents who are frustrated that plastic use has increased even after so many pushed for the ban. But state law preempts regulations set by smaller jurisdictions.

“So Seattle cannot fix this,” Yuse said. “And other local jurisdictions cannot fix this on their own. We have to go back to the legislature.”

Morrigan said it feels like “déjà vu, because we’ve already gone through this at the city level.”

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Before the statewide policy passed in 2020, she said Seattle demonstrated how the city policy encouraged shoppers to remember to bring their own reusable bags. The city also offered paper as an option for a fee in case someone forgot. She said that shows policy “can and does work here.”

“That’s what we’re hoping to see the legislature return to with this new legislation,” she said.

Bag manufacturers and retailers, meanwhile, oppose the push for additional restrictions, saying it disregards the investments made in recycling plastics into the thicker bags, as well as the need for consumer choice.

Washington’s dilemma is not unique. California and Oregon have both amended their statewide bag bans in the last two years to close this loophole.

Bellamy Pailthorp is a reporter with KNKX. This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.

It is part of OPB’s broader effort to ensure that everyone in our region has access to quality journalism that informs, entertains and enriches their lives. To learn more, visit our journalism partnerships page.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/10/washington-push-ban-plastic-bags/