While Washington aims to reduce plastic bag waste, the mandate for thicker bags is in question, resulting in more plastic volume overall. | Olga Miltsova / Shutterstock
The Washington State Department of Commerce released a report on the effectiveness of the state’s retail carryout bag policy prohibiting thin, 0.5 mil thickness single-use plastic bags.
Single-use plastic bags were banned in October 2021 as part of pandemic-driven measures. The law mandated businesses charge an 8-cent fee for paper and thick, 2.25 mil plastic bags made with 40% recycled content. Fee exemptions were available for customers on federal assistance such as food stamps.
While the state saw a decrease in the number of plastic bags handed out, the volume of plastic increased due to disposal of thicker plastic bags, originally intended to serve as a reusable alternative. The bags are about four times heavier than more widely distributed grocery bags.
“Based on sales data from a carryout bag distributor, the number of plastic bags distributed in Washington fell by 50% between 2021 and 2022. However, during the same time, total plastic use by weight increased by 17%,” the report stated.
The report recommended a higher pass-through fee for each bag purchased, stating that an increase would be an incentive for customers to reuse fabric bags or plastic bags more often.
“Reusable fabric bags also generate external environmental and health damages that consumers do not face. As such, these bags will also be overused as they are underpriced relative to social costs. Encouraging reuse of these bags, to minimize total bags purchased, is critical,” the report said.
Commerce Director Joe Nguyễn said in the report that “a policy approach that incentivizes bringing your own reusable bag through educational campaigns is critical to encourage sustainable actions by consumers and retailers.”
“However, strategically applying policy tools of bag bans, bag fees, recycled content minimums, thickness standards and other mandates may be most impactful to achieve environmental goals,” he added.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, Washington state retailers and businesses must charge 12 cents per plastic bag, up 4 cents from the current rate. Under HB1293, the requirement for bags to meet a 4-mil minimum thickness has been delayed until 2028.