Seattle City Council Passes Bill Banning Plastic Bags

According to a statement issued by Seattle’s City Council, more than 2 billion single-use plastic bags are used by residents of Washington each year. Seattle residents use about 292 million plastic bags per year, only 13 percent of which are recycled, according to Seattle Public Utilities.

"This bill is a great example of a broad and diverse coalition of people and organizations coming together to do the right thing for our environment," says City Councilmember Mike O’Brien, chair of the Seattle Public Utilities and Neighborhoods Committee and prime sponsor of the bill. "We have the support of grocers, retailers, restaurants, labor unions and environmental organizations in Seattle. We also have broad grassroots involvement from residents who have been emailing and calling in support of this issue for months now.

"We know that recycling alone cannot protect Puget Sound and our ocean waters from these plastic bags," O'Brien continues. "Of course people are not intentionally littering their bags into Puget Sound, but with so many in circulation, bags are ending up there, causing real damage to habitats and wildlife. Bringing our own reusable bags when we go shopping is a simple step we can all take that will protect our environment and reduce unnecessary waste."

Seattle is the fourth city in Washington to ban plastic bags.

The ordinance will go into effect July 1, 2012. The Seattle Public Utilities will be responsible for outreach to businesses and public education during the next six months and after the law takes effect. The utilities' solid waste division will monitor and enforce the ordinance.