Oregon expands ban on plastic bags to curb pollution

Gov. Tina Kotek has signed a bill into law that bans thicker, reusable plastic bags at grocery store checkouts, restaurants and other retail locations in Oregon, expanding the state’s existing

ban on single-use plastic

bags.

The bill

, which passed the Legislature with bipartisan support last week, closes a loophole under the current law approved in 2020. It allowed businesses to offer multiple-use plastic bags at checkout.

Those thicker bags are meant to be used hundreds of times to reduce their environmental impact, but few people actually reuse them. They will be included in the plastic bag ban starting in January 2027.

Twelve states have some form of statewide ban on plastic bags. California also recently updated its plastic bag ban to eliminate the thick bags at checkout.

“Wasteful disposable plastics like thick plastic checkout bags aren’t just annoying for consumers, they add unnecessary costs to our Oregon businesses, and are contributing to an ever increasing pile of plastic trash that is harming the environment and public health,” Sen. Janeen Sollman, a Hillsboro Democrat and the bill’s chief sponsor, said in a statement on Thursday.

The bill passed in a scaled-back form. Originally, it also sought to limit other single-use plastic items, including plastic utensils, condiments and plastic toiletries offered at hotels. The bill sought to make those items available upon request – similar to the “straws on request” law which Oregon legislators passed in 2019 – but those portions of the bill were removed in the House.

The Ocean Conservancy notes that plastic bags are among the most harmful and

prevalent

forms of single-use plastics found by its International Coastal Cleanup volunteers. The bags pose a

significant threat to marine wildlife

, killing and injuring birds and animals.

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— Gosia Wozniacka covers environmental justice, climate change, the clean energy transition and other environmental issues. Reach her at gwozniacka@oregonian.com or 971-421-3154.

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