Seattleґs City Council approved a plastic bag ban Dec. 19.
The ordinance will take effect July 1, according to the Seattle Times.
The measure was backed by the Northwest Grocery Association, which represents the state’s largest supermarkets, including Safeway, Fred Meyer, QFC and Albertsons.
The ordinance also adds a nickel fee on paper grocery bags to make up for the higher cost of paper and to remind shoppers to bring reusable bags, the paper reported.
According to Seattle Public Utilities, which manages solid-waste disposal for the city, residents use 292 million plastic carryout bags annually, but only recycle 13%.
In 2008, the city wanted to add a 20-cent fee to paper and plastic bags to help fund education and recycling programs, but the plastics industry invested $1.4 million to have signature gatherers place a referendum on the August 2009 primary ballot. Voters then rejected the measure.
Plastic bags are a source of litter in the Puget Sound region. A gray whale that washed up on shore in West Seattle last year had more than 20 plastic bags in its stomach.
“Itґs huge to see Seattle being a leader to protect Puget Sound wildlife,” Katrina Rosen, field director for Environment Washington, told the paper.
Rosen told The Times that Olympia, Port Townsend, Bainbridge Island and Lake Forest also are considering bans.
Source: Waste & Recycling News
By Vince Bond