CENTRALIA — Say goodbye to those flimsy plastic bags.
Washington’s new ban on single-use plastic bags goes into effect Friday. The new law in most cases forbids food service businesses, restaurants, retail, small and temporary vendors, and grocery stores from providing the carryout bags to customers, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Businesses may still provide a compliant paper or reusable bag to customers at a cost of 8 cents. Those funds go directly back into the pockets of businesses to recoup the cost of providing more durable and reusable bagging options.
“Some types of single-use plastic bags are exempt from the law, including film plastics used to wrap meats and produce, small film bags for prescriptions, newspaper and dry-cleaning bags, and packaged bags sold in stores like trash bags, pet waste bags and sandwich bags,” the news release reads.
Community food banks and pantries are also not required to charge customers for compliant bags under the new law, Ecology says. People using food stamps, WIC (Women, Infants, Children), SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), or any other government-funded nutrition assistance programs are also not subject to the 8-cent charge.