The City of Snohomish will ban single-use plastic bags starting January 1, 2020. The ordinance also requires retailers to charge customers 10 cents for paper bags.
Snohomish joins 27 other cities in western Washington that have already banned single-use plastic bags.
Council President Jason Sanders said, “It is the option that best balances and reconciles the economic impacts to the retailers and the consumer, provides substantial benefit to the environment, and provides for a reasonable amount of fairness between the retailer, the consumer and the government."
The Snohomish ban includes a 9-month grace period for retailers. The council said a soft rollout is planned for October ahead of the holidays.
A statewide ban on plastic bags is being considered in the Washington state Legislature. If that passes, all Washington stores would charge customers 10 cents per bag as of 2020.
