Washington state lawmakers call for ban on plastic bags

Washington state leaders are calling for a ban on plastic bags.

A bill announced Wednesday would prohibit the use of single-use plastic carryout bags and require a charge of 10 cents on all paper carryout bags.

Currently, 19 cities in Washington have plastic bag bans in place, including Seattle, Tacoma and Edmonds. Kenmore most recently approved a ban that takes effect on Jan. 1.

Lawmakers tried to pass a tax on plastic bags in the last legislative session, but it failed.

The new bill will be introduced in the 2019 session.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the proposed measure would prohibit plastic carryout bags and require a 10-cent charge on paper carryout bags. It wouldn’t mandate a 2-cent tag on plastic bags.

This story was originally published November 28, 2018 at 5:06 PM.