If you haven’t gotten into the habit of bringing your own reusable bags while out shopping, you may want to start. 

Beginning Jan. 1, retailers and restaurants will begin charging an additional 4 cents per plastic bag for customers wanting them for their items, bringing that total cost to 12 cents per bag, according to a release from the Washington Department of Ecology.  

Paper bags will continue to cost 8 cents per bag. 

Washington’s single-use plastic bag ban was implemented in 2021 and prohibits thin, .5 mil disposable plastic bags. The law sets standards for thicker, 2.25 mil reusable plastic film bags and requires plastic and paper carryout bags to contain a minimum 40% recycled content.   

Originally, the required thickness of plastic bags provided by retailers was also set to increase from the current 2.25 mils to 4 mils on Jan. 1. That requirement has been delayed until Jan. 1, 2028.  

However, according to the Washington Department of Revenue, any retailers providing reusable plastic carryout bags made 4 mils thick or more must collect both: 

• 12-cent pass-through charge. 
• A new 4-cent state penalty. 

Collections from the 4-cent penalty must be deposited into the state’s waste reduction, recycling, and litter control account.