Oregon Becomes Latest State to Ban Single-Use Plastic Bags

Oregon supermarkets, restaurants, and other retail establishments will no longer be able to provide single-use plastic bags under a bill signed into law by Gov. Kate Brown (D).

The measure, HB 2509, passed on a largely party-line vote with the support of Democrat supermajorities in both legislative chambers. It also prohibits retailers from providing recycled paper bags or reusable fabric or plastic bags unless they charge five cents for each one. The law takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

With the bill’s June 20 enactment, Oregon joins Maine and Vermont—which enacted similar bans this week—along with California, ...