New Poll: Ban Plastic Bags Statewide?

Shoppers in Kirkland might have to bring their own shopping bags or pay a nickel for a paper one at local grocery stores if a bill banning plastic bags is passed this year in Olympia.

Edmonds Sen. Maralyn Chase, who represents the 32nd District, has introduced Senate Bill 5780, which would ban the use of plastic “carry out” bags given to customers at the point of sale. Other types of bags would still be permitted, including those used for meat, vegetable and dairy products, among others.

Edmonds, the only city in the state where the ban is in effect, approved the ban on single-use, checkout line plastic bags in place in 2009, and similar plastic bags resrictions will take effect this year in Mukilteo, Bellingham and Seattle.

Kirkland residents, of course, can already recycle plastic bags. , which provides garbage service to the city, allows its customers to drop them in their recycle bins if they bag them together in one bag tied at the top.

But Chase’s bill isn’t the only one legislators will have in front of them. According to The Seattle Times, Rep. Joe Fitzgibbons, D-Burien, is also submitting a version of the bag ban in the House of Representatives.

At this point, bag bans have slight differences. Seattle's ban, for example, includes a 5-cent fee on the use of paper bags from stores. It is set to take effect in July. Edmonds does not have the fee.

When Seattle approved its ban last year, we asked Patch readers if they felt Kirkland should do the same. Of 25 responses, 10 said yes, ban them, seven said no, encourage the use of reuseable grocery bags and eight said the government should just stay out of it.

So now the Legislature could go ahead and ban them statewide. So again we ask, what's your take?