CENTRALIA — Beginning July 1, single-use, carryout plastic bags will be banned in unincorporated Thurston County, Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater.
The ban, for all stores and retailers, is leaving local business leaders such as Tammy Bailey, owner of Bailey’s IGA in Rochester, in a difficult position.
Although she said she supports the environmental benefits of less plastic bags, she noted that the ban will force her business to use much more expensive paper bags, costing at least $80,000 more a year.
“There is no way we can pick up $80,000 a year. We don’t make a profit of $80,000,” Bailey said. “It’s going to impact us huge. It’s going to cost us 11 cents a paper bag, when it costs us 1.5 to 2 cents for a plastic bag.”
To make up for the additional cost, Bailey said, her business will have to charge customers to use paper bags. She has not yet decided on an amount.
“We are going to have to really educate our customers by getting them to buy the reusable bags,” Bailey said. “We are going to have to charge every time someone uses a paper bag.”
All vendors will need to charge a minimum of 5 cents for paper carryout bags that are the size of a typical grocery bag, according to Thurston County Solid Waste. Retailers will keep the fee to help with the cost of the more expensive paper bags.
There are no requirements for smaller paper bags.
Hard to compete
Paper bags will remain free for customers paying for food with an Electronic Benefit Transfer card and other food assistance programs, according to Thurston County.
Bailey said it is hard for her business to compete with bigger stores such as Wal-Mart, which purchase its paper bags in bulk for less than 5 cents per bag. The plastic-bag ban does not hurt the larger stores as much as her local business, she said.
“If everybody has to charge the same amount for the bags, it puts us more on an equal playing field,” Bailey said. “Our costs keep going up. People don’t realize the grocery business is a tough world. We are just trying to make a living and provide good jobs for our employees and their families.”
Bailey is encouraging customers to bring their own reusable bags to avoid the paper bag fee. “It’s hard to make the customer happy when you have to charge more,” she said.
She will have to decide if she wants to charge customers for reusable bags or or provide them for free.
Certain plastic bags are exempt from the bans, including in-store bags for bulk items, produce and meat, the county says. The ban also will not apply to plastic bags for dry cleaning, newspapers or garbage bags sold in packages.
More reusable bags will cut expenses but may increase theft, Bailey said.
“One thing that scares me is we have had theft issues rise greatly in the last few years. (Customers) will load their groceries in those reusable bags and walk out the door,” she said. “There are a lot of concerns.”
