Washington ban on single-use bags will take effect early next year unless Legislature delays actionSubscriber Exclusive

By Anthony Macuk, Columbian business reporter

Published: December 22, 2020, 6:04am

4 Photos

Patty Ashby of Vancouver, left, puts away her wallet as cashier Razija Zelknovic assists her with her plastic bags at the Orchards Goodwill. Single-use plastic bags will be banned under a new state law that was originally scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, prompting Goodwill and other retailers to switch to alternatives like paper bags. Gov. Jay Inslee announced last week that he would delay the start of the ban to the end of January, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian) Photo Gallery

The sun is setting on single-use plastic bags in Washington, although they’ll be sticking around a bit longer than planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state’s plastic bag ban was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, but Gov. Jay Inslee issued a proclamation last week that pushed the start date to the end of the month and left the door open for the Legislature to delay it further.