Cost of plastic bags to rise 4 cents

Shoppers in Washington will soon begin paying 4 cents more per plastic bag at grocery stores and other retailers. The price for plastic bags will increase to 12 cents a bag, plus tax, on Jan. 1, but the bags themselves won’t be any thicker.

Bags were allowed to remain a minimum thickness of 2.25 mils after the Legislature postponed an increase to 4 mils until 2028. The previous single-use bags were 0.5 mils. According to the state Department of Commerce, about 800,000 businesses will be affected by the price increase.