PLASTIC BAGS ARE OUT STARTING MARCH 1ST!
Starting March 1, you'll no longer be able to leave a store with plastic bags in hand. Customers are expected to bring their own reusable bags. If you don't, you will be forced to pay a 5-cent fee for each provided PAPER bag (this fee doesn't apply to customers using SNAP or WIC).
Four counties opted into the fee: NYC, Albany, Tompkins, Suffolk, and Ulster.
Stores may not have paper bags to purchase and only sell reusable ones as the result of a nationwide shortfall. A paper bag shortage is expected to hit the Empire State hard when Albany’s plastic bag ban goes into effect March 1. It’s a problem manufacturers say could last up to five years because there simply aren’t enough factories to meet the booming demand, as efforts to reduce environmentally unfriendly plastic bags increase.
If you still have questions about what's allowed as a reusable bag, the DEC's website outlines it all.
If you want a free reusable bag, You can take the "Zero Waste Pledge" on the NYDS website and get a reusable bag or cutting board delivered to your door.
Why did New York State pass this law?
New York State created a task force that analyzed the impacts of single-use plastic bags and issued the report: An Analysis of the Impacts of Single-Use Plastic Bags.
In New York City, residents use more than 10 billion single-use carryout bags every year and it costs the City more than $12 million annually to dispose of these bags.
But don't worry.
If you have money to burn, store owners are stocking up on more pricey, reusable bags. After all, It's a great economy.
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