Washington has been a leader in tackling plastic pollution for well over a decade — and the Surfrider Foundation Washington Region has been right at the heart of that effort from the very beginning.
Long before the state passed its first plastic bag law, Surfrider volunteers were working in communities across Washington to reduce plastic pollution at the source. Surfrider chapters in cities like Bellingham helped pass some of the first local plastic bag ordinances, building momentum and public awareness around the harms of plastic bags in the environment. These local campaigns involved grassroots organizing, community outreach, and engaging with local councils to support policies that would reduce single-use plastics.
In Seattle, Surfrider activists worked closely with city leaders and allied environmental groups to educate the community and testify at council hearings, helping secure a unanimous city council vote in 2011 to ban plastic bags and encourage reusable alternatives.
Chapters in Olympia and Thurston County also played key roles in passing local ordinances that banned plastic checkout bags and set fees on paper bags — laying the groundwork for broader policy efforts.
These local victories were more than just wins on their own — they created a patchwork of successful policies and demonstrated that plastic bag reduction works. Surfrider’s work helped build the case for statewide legislation by showing that residents cared about plastic pollution and that bag ordinances were implementable and effective.
A Statewide Ban — But With a Loophole
In 2020, after years of grassroots advocacy and more than 30 local bag ordinances in place, the Washington Legislature passed a statewide plastic bag ban that made Washington the eighth state in the nation to adopt such a policy.
Surfrider, along with coalition partners like Zero Waste Washington, Puget Soundkeeper, Environment Washington, and Seattle Aquarium, helped push this effort forward by mobilizing volunteers, supporting legislators, and providing expertise based on local experience.
Yet the statewide law left a significant loophole: it allowed thicker plastic carryout bags to be labeled “reusable” and distributed at checkout — bags that were meant to be used up to 125 times but in practice are rarely reused enough to offset their environmental cost.
Why It’s Time to Close the Loophole
Today, plastic bags — including these so-called reusable versions — are still among the most common items collected during beach and watershed cleanups. They clog recycling machinery, pollute streets and waterways, and ultimately degrade into microplastics that harm wildlife and ecosystems, including the Salish Sea.
Updating the bag ban to prohibit all plastic carryout bags at checkout, regardless of thickness, would align the law with what science and real-world experience show works:
Bring your own reusable bags
Buy recyclable paper bags for a small fee
Choose durable, long-lasting reusable bags when needed
Communities across Washington — inspired by early Surfrider campaigns — have shown that these policies reduce plastic pollution and change consumer habits. States like California and Oregon have already taken this next step. Closing the loophole would mean:
✔ No more thick plastic bags at checkout
✔ Recyclable paper bags available for a small fee
✔ Less plastic pollution in our streets, rivers, beaches, and the Salish Sea
Protecting What We Love
Plastic pollution is choking our waterways, harming marine life, and threatening public health. Surfrider Washington’s decades-long work on plastic bag laws demonstrates that policy change paired with community action saves beaches and protects ocean health.
By closing the plastic bag loophole, Washington can take a meaningful step toward reducing pollution at the source and safeguarding our shared waters for future generations.
We urge lawmakers to support HB 2233 / SB 5965 — and join Surfrider and other ocean advocates in protecting communities, wildlife, and the Salish Sea.