Seattle City Council this week introduced a bill that would ban single-use plastic bags as a way to keep Puget Sound clean and protect marine wildlife.
Similar bans are in effect in Bellingham, Edmonds, other West Coast cities and more than 20 nations.
The law would require retailers to charge five cents for each paper bag to consumers who do not bring reusable bags, as a reminder to do so.
Retailers would keep the nickel to help pay for the cost of switching to paper bags.
In 2008 Seattle voters rejected a bag ban ordinance. Supporters of the proposed one say it has two key differences. It addresses the concerns about the cost impacts on retailers by allowing them to keep the five-cent fee they collect.
It's also designed not to burden the poor. The legislation prohibits retailers from collecting the fee on anyone with a voucher or electronic benefits card issued under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) support programs, or the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, also known as Basic Food), or the Washington State Food Assistance Program (FAP).
People in Washington State use more than 2 billion single-use plastic bags each year. In Seattle, that adds up to about 292 million plastic bags every 365 days.
Many of these bags end up in the Puget Sound, where sea birds, sea turtles and other marine animals often mistake them for food, environmentalists say.
They add that toxic chemicals in the plastic bags can poison the animals.
The bill, introduced by Councilmember Mike O'Brien, is co-sponsored by Council President Richard Conlin and Councilmembers Sally Bagshaw, Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Jean Godden, and Nick Licata.
Seattle's bag ban would take effect six months from passage of the ordinance. The ordinance is nearly identical to the Bellingham law that was passed in July 2011 and will go into effect in July 2012.