Survey finds support for Seattle’s plastic bag ban
Dec 19, 2012, 1:26 PM | Updated: 1:58 pm
(AP Photo/file)
A group pushing for a statewide ban on plastic bags says new laws in Seattle and Bellingham are changing attitudes.
A survey of customers and businesses in the two cities, where plastic bags are banned, shows most people are bringing reusable bags to the store more often.
“Today, there’s about two-thirds of folks going into grocery stores bringing their own bags,” said Robb Krehbiel, with Environment Washington, adding “there’s also a significant amount of people not even using bags at all.”
The group claims that 76 percent of Seattle businesses and 85 percent of Bellingham businesses saw an increase in reusable bag use after the bag ban was implemented.
Environment Washington hopes Shoreline, Anacortes and Thurston County will follow the lead of Seattle, Bellingham and five other Washington cities that have banned plastic bags in retail stores.