Are Plastic Grocery Bags Banned Yet in WA? Not For Now

We thought we'd do a little update on the bills introduced in Olympia this legislative session, that would expand a plastic shopping bag ban statewide.

Currently 27 Washington state cities have such bans in place, including Seattle. But Senate Bill 5232 and companion House Bill 1205 would require merchants to stop using single-use plastic bags.

Supporters of the bill point to clogging landfills, water ways and other sources of pollution, they're the same environmentalists who banned plastic drinking straws in Seattle--or got the ban in place.

There's been no new developments on either bill, a check on Monday February 11th shows both are still in their respective committees. Similar bills were introduced last legislative session, but failed to pass.