BREMERTON, Wash. — Editor's note: This video was originally published on June 8, 2019, when Bremerton passed its plastic bag ban.
Kitsap County Solid Waste wants to help people prepare for the proposed plastic bag ban by giving away washable, reusable shopping bags.
Bremerton's single use plastic ban will go into effect in January 2020 and will implement an 8-cent fee for paper carryout bags. Bainbridge Island passed an ordinance in 2012 and Gig Harbor's bag ordinance began June 18.
Kitsap County and Port Orchard are considering a reusable bag ordinance.
Free reusable bags are being provided at nine Kitsap Regional Library Locations. If you can’t make it out to a location personally, they also offer a Home Delivery Service.
Givens Community and Senior Center in Port Orchard and North Kitsap Senior Citizens Center in Poulsbo are also giving visitors reusable bags.
Kitsap County Solid Waste has also joined the trend of pop-ups, so you can catch them at one-day events where they will be handing out bags throughout the county.
August 7: Walmart Poulsbo, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
August 7: Winco Bremerton, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
August 9: Goodwill Silverdale, noon to 3 p.m.
August 10: Port Orchard Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to noon
August 16: St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank, Bremerton, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
August 21-25: Kitsap County Fair & Stampede, Kitsap Sun Pavilion
If you can’t make it to any of the listed dates or times, check out their event page where they add locations weekly or sign up for their email bulletins for future dates or BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag!) Facebook Event for locations.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the average American family takes home almost 1,500 plastic bags a year and only recycles about 15 of them. This means the rest ends up in landfills and can enter the ocean, potentially choking, poisoning, or killing wildlife.