SPOKANE, Wash. -- "How many store bags did you use?" is the question replacing the old "paper or plastic?" in Washington. For years, shoppers have been paying for bags at grocery stores, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants.

Washington implemented a single-use plastic bag ban starting in 2023, aiming to reduce plastic waste by encouraging shoppers to bring reusable bags or buy thicker plastic bags that could be reused multiple times.

Globally, people use between 500 billion and 1 trillion plastic bags annually. In the U.S., more than 100 billion plastic bags are used each year averaging more than 300 bags per person.

A study led by Eric Jessup, research professor at Washington State University's School of Economic Sciences, commissioned by the Departments of Commerce and Ecolog

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