Lawmakers revisit WA’s plastic bag restrictions

Lawmakers revisit WA’s plastic bag restrictions

Emily Fitzgerald/Washington State Standard

October 01, 2025 / 11:49 am

Washington shoppers will pay 4 cents more per plastic grocery bag starting in January. But the bags themselves won’t get any thicker for at least another two years as lawmakers fine-tune the state’s single-use plastic bag restrictions.

The price increase is a part of a law passed in 2020 banning some thinner, single-use plastic bags statewide and creating regulations for retailers offering carryout bags to customers.

Approximately 80,000 Washington businesses are affected by the law, according to the state Department of Commerce.

Under the law, paper and plastic bags have to be made with 40% recycled content, and plastic bags must be 2.25 millimeters thick and ma