OLYMPIA, Wash – Reusable plastic bags at Washington stores and restaurants are about to cost more, starting in January.
Starting on New Years Day, shoppers will pay 12 cents for a bag, up from eight cents when the law went into effect in 2020.
Some stores already charge more than that.
Washington lawmakers passed the law, intending to deter people from using plastic bags.
They encourage shoppers to use reusable bags instead.
However, research from WSU shows the plastic bag law may have backfired.
According to WSU research, Washington retailers distributed 50% fewer plastic bags between 2021 and 2022. However, the amount of total plastic used by weight went up 17%.
That’s because of the required thickness of the reusable plastic bags distributed by stores.
4 News Now is looking into this issue and speaking with those researchers. Watch for a special report by Robyn Nance Tuesday November 25th on Good Morning Northwest
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
