Be Prepared – NYS ban on plastic bags begins March 1, 2020
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Keep bags: at home, at work, in your purse, in the car and in your backpack." Graphic courtesy NY Dept. of Environmental Conservation.
On Earth Day April 22, 2019, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation that bans the sale of single-use plastic bags in New York State. This ban goes into effect on March 1, 2020. This ia a significant step to reduce pollution and protect fish and wildlife.
"Single-use" plastic bags do not degrade and often wind up as litter on lands and in waters, harming birds or wildlife that ingest the plastic. It is estimated that New Yorkers use 23 billion plastic bags annually, and nationwide studies show that approximately 50 percent of single-use plastic bags end up as litter. In addition to preventing plastic bag litter in our environment, this ban will also help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with plastic bag production and disposal, from petroleum used to produce the bags to emissions from the transportation of bags to landfills.
Preparing for the plastic bag ban: NYS DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos says February is about raising awareness.
Critics, though, say not enough has been done to prepare shoppers and retailers, but NYS says they are raising awareness about the bag ban.
"I think you have pockets of the state where you have perfect awareness" about the bag ban, says Seggos, with some larger chain stores having already banned plastic bags.
Wegmans in western New York banned single-use plastic bags and are charging 5 cents for paper bags.
Many smaller chains and mom and pop stores in more rural regions across the state, though, have not been as proactive, "which was expected," Seggos says.
This month NYS DEC will distribute 250,000 reusable bags across the state to raise awareness about the ban. NYS DEC will also host educational events around New York.
The ban officially goes into effect March 1 but the transition period on educating retailers and shoppers is happening now.
According to the Times Union, environmental advocates worry those specifics will lead manufacturers to produce thicker bags that shoppers will use as if they were disposable.
According to NYS DEC Seggos, "We need to make sure the implementation of this law is flawless", before the DEC gets strict on enforcement and considers an even stricter plastic ban for New York State.
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