I’ve gone through an embarrassing amount of plastic bags over the years. For storing washed herbs and greens; brining and marinating meats; keeping leftovers; freezing things like pizza dough, sauces, bread, butter, and balls of ready-to-bake cookie dough, it’s hard to beat the convenience of a well-designed plastic food storage bag.
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But these days I’m trying very hard to reduce my single-use plastic consumption. I do use our favorite reusable storage bags when I can. But sometimes disposables are handy too. And unless I’ve stored meat in a bag, I try to wash and reuse it as many times as possible.
This simple task helps me save money and get some more use out of my plastic bags—a box of 28 gallon-size bags lasts for many months this way, not weeks.
But because these bags aren’t marketed as being reusable, is it actually safe to reuse them? Do the bags break down? I called SC Johnson, the manufacturer of our top supermarket choice for food storage bags, the Ziploc Gallon Food Storage Freezer Bags, to find out.
“I'm happy to share Ziploc Food Storage Bags can be handwashed, rinsed and reused,” their representative said. “However, if the bag was used to store raw meat, fish, eggs or other allergy-triggering foods, we do not recommend reusing.”
The best method? The representative from SC Johnson says, “We'd recommend washing with soap and water and letting air dry.” Don’t turn them inside out, or you risk ripping the seams. Just add some warm water and a small squirt of soap, zip the zipper, and slosh them around. Then rinse well. Give them a shake and maybe even a wipe with a clean dish towel, prop them open, and hang to dry. Don’t reuse them until they’re fully dry.
Surprisingly, good bags hold up for a fair amount of reuse without breaking down: “You can wash and reuse them up to 10 times, depending on how they're used,” she said.
I find that if the bags become damaged or cloudy or are difficult to get really clean, I recycle them at my supermarket—most supermarkets do this; check bagandfilmrecycling.org to find a drop-off location near you—and grab a fresh bag out of the box. But that doesn’t typically happen until I’ve reused them several times.
I’ve also invested in reusable storage bags and for dry foods, reusable food wraps of beeswax-coated cloth. I figure every little bit helps.
Any single-use, plastic carryout bag provided at delivery, check stand, cash register, point of sale, or other point of departure to a customer.
No. Customers are encouraged to bring and reuse their own bags when they shop. Some businesses may require customers to bag their own groceries in reusable bags. Customers should clean and disinfect their hands and reusable bags frequently.
These bags are also exempt:
Compostable film bags for products used by customers in stores before checkout must meet the requirements for compostable products and film bags in Chapter 70A.455 RCW. Only compostable bags can be tinted green or brown (Chapter 70A.455 RCW). No bag can use the following misleading labels: "biodegradable," "decomposable," "degradable."
Businesses are allowed to give these bags to customers at checkout, and the 8-cent charge is optional. However, we do not recommend their use. Most composting facilities in Washington cannot accept these bags. If you are considering offering compostable bags, please reach out to your local composting facility to inquire about whether or not they are accepted.
A mil is a measurement that equals one-thousandth of an inch, or 0.001 inch. One mil also equals 0. mm (millimeter). Reusable plastic bags sold for 8 cents under the new bag ban are required to be at least 2.25 mil, and this requirement will increase to 4 mil beginning in .
Businesses collect and keep the entire 8 cents to recover some of the cost of providing the bags,and to incentivize customers to bring their own reusable bags. The charge must be shown as a taxable sale on the receipt provided to the customer. Businesses may choose to charge more than 8 cents per bag.
The thicker, stronger plastic bags — those more than 2.25 mil thick — have special uses for which paper is not a good option or not readily available. These bags must still be made of at least 20% post-consumer recycled content and have the recycled content printed on the outside of the bag. In , the required thickness increases to 4 mil.
No. When regularly used, the impact of reusable bags is less than that of the many more lightweight plastic bags they’ve replaced. They are designed to be used many times and can carry two to three times as much weight as typical throwaway plastic bags, which often need to be doubled for strength.
Anyone will be able to report a business using prohibited bags through this webpage, starting in . We will review complaints and respond by providing the noncompliant business with additional information, resources, and technical assistance. Though we intend to respond with compliance assistance whenever possible, repeated and continuous non-compliance may result in up to a $250 fine.
The plastic bag ban reenacts and amends Chapter 43.21B.110 RCW. It also adds a new section to Chapter 82.04 RCW. This law is located at Chapter 70a.530 RCW.
The bag ban requires businesses to charge 8 cents for large paper carry-out bags (1/8 barrel paper bags 882 cubic inches or larger). Smaller paper bags may be provided without charging the 8 cents, but all paper bags must be made of at least 40% post-consumer recycled content and/or wheat straw and be labeled with this percentage on the outside of the bag.
No. Customers are encouraged to bring and reuse their own bags when they shop. Some businesses may require customers to bag their own groceries in reusable bags. Customers should clean and disinfect their hands and reusable bags frequently.
Paper bags must contain at least 40% post-consumer recycled content, 40% wheat straw, or a combination of these materials equal to 40%. The percentage of this content must be printed somewhere on the exterior of the bag.
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Should a question arise, retailers must be prepared to show that the bags they are using are at least 2.25 mils thick and are labeled with the mil thickness somewhere on the exterior of the bag. In January , the minimum thickness requirement will increase from 2.25 mil to 4 mil.
Businesses collect and keep the entire 8 cents to recover some of the cost of providing the bags and to incentivize customers to bring their own reusable bags. The charge must be shown as a taxable sale on the receipt provided to the customer. Businesses may choose to charge more than 8 cents per bag.
Yes. The Washington State Department of Revenue has confirmed that the 8-cent charge is subject to sales tax since retail stores are selling the bags.
No. The minimum 8-cent charge must be collected and is intended to promote the use of reusable bags by customers. The number and total cost of these bags must be shown on the customer’s sales receipt. This ensures a level playing field among retailers.
Customers using food benefits programs like these, are exempt from paying the 8-cent bag charge for purchases made with their food benefits card from:
We encourage customers to avoid the charge by bringing their own reusable bags. The plastic bag ban does not apply to food banks and other food-assistance programs, but we encourage these organizations to reuse bags whenever possible.
We provided an outreach toolkit in October with targeted informational fliers, point-of-sale cards, and "Bring Your Own Bag" signage.
We urge all businesses to display plastic bag ban signs, create promotional materials like branded reusable bags, and to direct questions to this webpage.
We developed training, education, and outreach materials to share with Washington businesses, associations, and their members.
We continue to collaborate with:
Please contact us if your association would like to get involved.
Members of the public who observe noncompliant businesses will be able to submit observations through our website. We will review complaints and respond by providing the business with additional information, resources, and technical assistance.
Initially, we'll work to assist lagging businesses to catch up with this ban. But repeated and continuous instances can result in up to a $250 fine.
Film plastic bags traditionally used by customers in stores for bulk items may be used for individual bakery goods, loaves of bread, and other pastries. They are exempt, as an in-store packaging, and can be used for produce, bulk foods, meat, ice cream, flowers, or any other items prone to moisture problems.
These goods may be wrapped in smaller plastic bags typically used for produce, but not in single-use plastic carryout bags. Single-use plastic carryout bags like those traditionally provided at point of sale are not allowed for prepared or bakery goods.
The 8-cent bag charge is required for any large paper or thick reusable bag provided to the customer, regardless of whether it is at pickup or point of sale. Small paper bags may be provided without the 8-cent charge but must meet the required 40% post-consumer recycled content or wheat-straw minimum and be labeled with this percentage on the exterior of the bag.
The deadline for using up inventory technically passed in June and was not extended by the Governor/Legislature in concurrence with the delayed October 1 implementation date. However, the intent is not for these bags to go to waste. Though we will begin accepting and following up on complaints of non-compliance beginning October 1, a business in question will have opportunity to explain that they are using up their inventory. The business may be required to provide invoices and receipts to show that the bags were purchased before the October 1 effective date, and we would then exercise enforcement discretion, on a case-by-case basis. However, we would not expect businesses to be using up existing inventories of bags for more than a few months.
Technically, no — you cannot provide single-use plastic bags or bags not meeting the new requirements, even if they are previously used and deposited.
Yes, businesses may charge more than 8 cents per bag as a taxable retail sale.
Since any charge in excess of 8 cents is not part of the statutorily defined passthrough charge, it cannot be deducted from that taxpayer’s income for the purposes of calculating B&O tax. RCW 70A.530.020(2)(c) requires that retail establishments show all pass-through charges on a receipt, as well.
Bags smaller than the large barrel paper bags (882 cubic inches or larger) do not require an 8-cent charge. However, they must still meet the 40% post-consumer recycled content minimum and must be labeled on the exterior of the bag with this percentage.
Beginning Jan. 1, , the thickness requirements for the reusable plastic film bags increases from 2.25 mil to 4 mil, and the required charge for these bags increases from 8 cents to 12 cents. Paper bags will continue to be available for only 8 cents.
For more information, please visit Resealable Plastic Food Bags.