Reusable cloth bags, like this one used by Erin Erickson during this transaction with Rosauers clerk Sam Curtis, are a cost-effective alternative to paying per-bag fees from retailers now that the single-use bag ban is fully enforced statewide.
Reusable cloth bags, like this one used by Erin Erickson during this transaction with Rosauers clerk Sam Curtis, are a cost-effective alternative to paying per-bag fees from retailers now that the single-use bag ban is fully enforced statewide.
Oregon restaurants and retail stores — including grocery stores — are no longer allowed to provide single-use checkout bags. Reusable paper, plastic and fabric bags can still be provided, but retailers are required to charge at least 5 cents per bag (restaurants may still provide paper bags at no cost).
While the City of Hood River has banned stores from providing single use plastic bags at checkout since 2017, the state law (House Bill 2509) preempts the local ordinance, and establishes the bag-ban statewide.
House Bill 2509 was passed during the legislative session in April, 2019, and went into full effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
“By encouraging the switch to reusable or recycled paper bags, Oregon can reduce the amount of bags that are used once and thrown out, while also addressing a significant problem for Oregon’s recycling programs: Plastic bags,” reads an official statement on Oregon.gov.
“When plastic bags end up in recycling bins, they can contaminate the recycling stream and endanger the safety of workers who must untangle them from recycling equipment. This is also a positive first step toward addressing the large amount of plastic debris in the oceans, which threatens Oregon’s marine wildlife.”
Customers who do not bring reusable bags should expect to pay a small fee at the register if they want to use bags provided by the store. While single-use checkout bags are banned completely, stores may provide plastic, fabric and paper bags so long as they meet certain criteria: Paper bags are required to be made of at least 40 percent recycled fiber, and both plastic and fabric bags have to have handles and should be designed and manufactured for multiple uses (plastic bags must be “made of durable plastic that is at least 4 millimeters thick” and fabric bags must be “made of cloth or other machine-washable fabric).
While the law mandates a 5-cents per bag minimum, the fee can vary between stores, cities and counties, and the money collected goes to the retailer. The fee is intended to help offset the cost businesses pay to purchase sustainable, reusable bags.
Some bags, such as those for bulk items and privacy purposes, are not subject to the ban. Retail stores and restaurants may provide certain reusable bags for free to customers using a WIC voucher or electronic benefits transfer card. Bags sold in packages for uses such as food storage, garbage or pet waste are also allowed.
The ban is to be enforced by local law enforcement, and violations fall into Class D, which means a maximum fine of $250 per day.
By Sept. 15, 2024, grocers are required to provide the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) with information on collection of bag fees and customers’ usage of recycled paper, reusable fabric and reusable plastic checkout bags; and the DEQ must submit a report about this information to the legislature by Sept. 15, 2025.
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