Jan 19 - Two Bag Bans Introduced in WA State Legislature
Riding on the wave of the successful bag bans emerging from Washington State (Bellingham, Mukilteo, and most recently Seattle all passed local single-use bag ordinances), lawmakers have introduced statewide bills on the issue.
Representatives Joe Fitzgibbon and Marko Liias introduced HB 1877, which similar to the local WA bag ordinances, bans single-use plastic bags and places a 5 cent minimum price requirement on paper bags. According to this Plastic News article, the bill will be heard in an environmental committee on January 20.
In the Washington State Senate, Senators Maralyn Chase and Adam Kline have also introduced SB 5780, which bans non-compostable plastic bags.
In California, AB 1998 author Assembly Member Julia Brownley and other advocates for a single-use bag bill in our state continue to support similar efforts at the local level, while considering options for a potential statewide policy.
So which state will become the first in the nation to pass a statewide bag ban? It's not clear yet who the winner will be, but we do note that several West coast states, including CA, have come close in recent years. Stay tuned on our website.
Take action on local single-use bag ordinances on our website and learn more about our Campaign to End Single-Use Plastic Bags.