Washington State latest to attempt bag ban

By Henry Leineweber, Resource Recycling

Where California and Oregon failed, could Washington succeed? A pair of bills introduced in the Evergreen State hope to ban the use of plastic bags.

Senate Bill 5780, which has been reintroduced from last year, would ban the distribution of retail carry-out plastic bags in the state, except when they are used for fresh meat or fish, fruits or vegetables, nuts and bulk items, dairy products, ice or cooked foods. The bill would allow stores to distribute paper bags, "compostable" bags that meet ASTM compostability standards, and reusable canvas or plastic bags thicker than 2.25 mm.

A mostly similar bill, House Bill 1877 differs slightly from its Senate counterpart, in that it provides an exception to Washington residents on food stamps, and affixes a five-cent fee on paper bags.

The laws would supersede any local bans or ordinances, such as those passed by Bellingham, Edmonds, Mukileto and Seattle.

However, opposition to the bills is already mobilizing, with plastic bag manufacturing giant Hilex Poly stating its intent to oppose the proposed ban.

"Washington residents interested in reducing litter and protecting the environment would be far better served supporting a statewide recycling program, rather than an all-out ban on retail plastic carry-out bags, a policy which will only push consumers to alternatives that are less sustainable, not more," read a statement by Hilex Poly VP for sustainability and environmental policy Mark Daniels. "The truth is banning one product that makes only one to two percent of litter will have no meaningful impact on litter. Instead, it will result in forcing consumers to use products such as reusable bags, which are mostly imported from China, made from foreign oil and are not recyclable, or to use paper bags, which have a larger carbon footprint than plastic bags."

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