Bring your own: Fee increase on store-bought bags in WA state effective Jan. 1

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, it will be more expensive to buy a plastic film carryout bag at Washington restaurants and retailers. The Washington State Department of Ecology reminds consumers that a scheduled four-cent increase in the price for plastic film carryout bags at Washington restaurants and retailers means their minimum cost will be 12 cents per bag.

The increase from the current eight cents per bag is part of a 2020 law meant to encourage shoppers to bring their own carryout bags, Ecology said in a news release. The minimum charge for a paper carryout bag will remain at eight cents.

Washington’s single-use plastic bag ban was implemented in 2021 and prohibits thin, .5 mil disposable plastic bags. The law sets standards for thicker, 2.25 mil reusable plastic film bags and requires plastic and paper carryout bags contain a minimum 40% recycled content.

“Paper and plastic carryout bags impact the environmental at every stage of their production, transportation, and disposal,” said Peter Lyon, manager of Ecology’s Solid Waste Management Program. “Bringing your own bag is the easiest way to avoid the charge, reduce emissions, preserve resources and prevent bags from becoming litter.”

To avoid the additional cost of carryout bags, Ecology recommends people store reusable bags in their cars, backpacks, purses and other handy places where they can be easily retrieved when needed.

Resources designed to help businesses remind customers to bring their own bags are available on Ecology’s bag ban webpage, including printable “BYOB” signs and posters that can be hung in parking lots, on windows and at checkout counters.

When a customer chooses to purchase a bag from a grocery store, retailer or restaurant, the law requires a minimum charge of eight cents for paper bags or 12 cents for plastic bags. Businesses are allowed to charge more than the minimum fees to help recoup the higher costs of compliant paper and plastic bags. Bag fees are treated as taxable retail sales – the fee goes to the business. Customers using food benefits — such as WIC, TANF, SNAP or EBT — are not subject to bag fees. Food banks are also exempt from applying bag fees to paper or plastic bags.

Visit ecology.wa.gov/bag-ban for more information about the law’s requirements, frequently asked questions, and flyers and resources translated into 18 languages. Contact bagban@ecy.wa.gov with questions or requests for technical assistance.