Seattle City Council banned plastic carryout bags back in 2011. So why are they back— in a thicker form?
Seattle residents likely can remember a time between 2012 and 2020 where plastic carryout bags were not offered at grocery stores and other retail establishments. Only paper bags were available. This was the result of an ordinance passed by Seattle City Council in 2011, which was successful in reducing plastic bags in the waste stream and as litter in the environment.
Throughout the 2010s, 38 other local governments in Washington also adopted plastic bag bans. All this momentum led the Washington State Legislature to ban plastic bags statewide in 2020. However, the bill that passed included an exemption: It allowed retailers to sell thicker “reusable” plastic bags. As a result, we now are seeing thick plastic bags being offered alongside – and, increasingly, in place of – paper bags. These thick plastic bags were allowed with the intent that they would be reused multiple times—under the law, they must be designed to have a minimum lifetime of 125 uses—but multiple studies carried out since indicate that these bags are rarely used more than once. Due to the thickness requirement, these bags actually generate more plastic waste than the previous thin plastic bags.
These thick plastic bags have been seen up and down the West Coast as California and Oregon passed similar statewide bag bans that also allowed thicker plastic bags to be sold if designed to be “reusable.” During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation that single-use plastics, like plastic bags, were safer than reusable items contributed to the rise in use of store-provided thick plastic bags. Although this claim was disproven, most stores in Seattle stopped allowing customers to bring their own reusable bags for a period of time. Once allowed under state law, stores began offering thick plastic bags alongside or in place of paper bags.
What Can We Do About It?
SPU has heard disappointment from many Seattle residents about the return of plastic bags in stores – and we agree. Thick plastic bags create unnecessary plastic waste and pollution, pose challenges for our recycling program, and undermine our city’s success in building a culture of waste reduction and reuse. Now, we can ask Washington’s Legislature to close the loophole on thicker plastic bags and eliminate them for good. California and Oregon each amended their statewide bag ban in the last two years to close this loophole. In 2026, SPU will team up with our environmental and local government partners to advocate for Washington to do the same.
In the meantime, please continue to bring your own reusable bags to stores or opt for paper over plastic. Thank you!
Questions? Please email Maggie Yuse, SPU Senior Policy Advisor and State Legislative Liaison