Tacoma follows the statewide RCW 70A.530 ban on thin single-use plastic carryout bags. Retailers must charge an eight-cent pass-through fee on permitted reusable plastic or recycled-paper carryout bags supplied at checkout.
Effective October 1, 2021, RCW 70A.530 prohibits Washington retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags thinner than 2.25 mils. Allowed alternatives include recycled-content paper bags meeting 40% post-consumer minimums and reusable plastic bags at least 2.25 mils thick. Retailers must charge a pass-through fee of eight cents per bag, retain that revenue, and itemize it on receipts; SNAP and WIC customers are exempt from the fee. Bags used for produce, bulk, meat, frozen items, prescription drugs, dry cleaning, and similar uses are exempt from the ban. Tacoma businesses are subject to state Department of Ecology enforcement.
Providing banned thin bags or failing to collect the pass-through fee can result in Ecology warnings, civil penalties up to 250 dollars per day, and corrective-action orders against the retailer.
See how Tacoma's plastic bag rules rules stack up against other locations.
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