Washington state set to ban single-use plastic bags

Washington is on the verge of joining a global movement to ban single-use plastic bags, with legislation passing the state House of Representatives with bipartisan support on Saturday.

The bill would make Washington the ninth state to ban the bags, which are frequently seen stuck to trees, blowing about in litter and becoming tangled with marine life.

Bag bans have already passed in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon and Vermont. Single-use plastic bags have already been banned in Seattle; Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; San Francisco; Portland, Maine; and Boulder, Colorado. 

The 67-29 Washington House vote came in the week that New York's bag ban is taking effect. Seattle already has a ban in place. The ban was backed by 53 Democrats and 14 Republicans.

"Now, with the adoption in the Senate of the House's amendments, our bill is on the way to the Governor's desk," State Sen. Mona Das, D-47, posted on Monday.

The momentum is growing and results can be seen. The European Union has decided to ban all single-use plastic bags, a ban that kicks in next year. In Mexico, 22 states and Mexico City have enacted bans. A further ban in Mexico City against plastic cutlery, straws, cups and balloons takes effect in 2021.

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Posted by admin on Mar 10 2020. Filed under News at Now, No Plastic. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry