New York Plastic Bags Are Now Worth $.05

Melissa Berman
4 min readMar 12, 2020
Map of U.S. with Plastic Bag Legislation

The New York government is made to enforce The broad banning of most single-use plastic bags from retailers, The New York Times reports. Lawmakers reportedly agreed to give this banning portion of the government’s package of fund measures in the attempt to remove non-biodegradable waste from the streets and the situation. This prohibition was reportedly projected last year by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and is made to take effect March 1, 2020. Take-out bags used by restaurants, bags to cover shops products, dried cleaner clothing bags, paper bags, and purses for bulk items are all reported exemptions to this prohibition. New York would take the second government to enforce the plastic bag ban, after California.

Nevertheless, there are even environmental effects from the manufacture and distribution of paper bags. Though Proposition 67 banned single-use plastic bags, this bag ban has also had the dramatic amount of paper bags applied across this government. Because shoppers are taking reusable bags with them to the grocery shop, the usage of newspaper bags in Los Angeles fell by almost 40 percent since its luggage ban got into effect. According to this law, the grocery store must pay at least 10 cents for the newspaper or reusable grocery bag. This was put in the statement to guarantee that the price of offering a useful grocery bag is not subsidized by the consumer who does not want the bag. Still, stores may pay more than 10 cents for the purse if they need to, even as they may make the price point for any other well sold.

Presently, 10 cities, towns, and villages in New York have enacted plastic luggage prohibitions. One municipality gets the plastic bag banned with the interest on single-use paper bags and bags that do as recyclable, including 2.25 mil flexible plastic bags. The City of Long Beach gets The single-use plastic bag fee in the area and Suffolk county’s single-use plastic bag fee was forced on new year’s day, 2018.

Not everyone has a positive opinion on the ban, Ulta Beauty employee Samantha Meltzer says “It sucks because I know it’s better for the environment, but it hurts revenue for stores because people will shop less.” When asked how it will affect her job, Meltzer says, “It’s going to be really weird having to ask people if they want to spend $.05 on a bag for something that should automatically get a bag with purchase.” Working mother, Susan Silberman, thinks otherwise. “It is so much easier to come with your own bags to the supermarket and bag as you please” says Silberman, “I’d rather pay for a reusable bag than a single-use plastic bag every time.”

Local shop owner Wendy Lombardo of Reign Boutique, spoke on the plastic bag ban. “Since we are a local, small business I don’t think it will hurt us as much. Our customers are loyal and have grown with us,” says Lombardo, “This just gives us a reason to make reusable bags for our customers.”

ABC News Plastic Bag Ban Has Begun

Starting March 1st, retailers statewide are forbidden from giving out single-use plastic bags, in agreement with the assembly’s prohibition on those bags last year. New York is today among eight states that take censored plastic purses. Additionally, some municipalities have chosen for the 5-cent newspaper bag fee, including NYC. In the weeks leading up to this prohibition, makers have raised concerns at the material bag shortage, shop owners have begun selling plastic bags as useful, and gripes that the ban will be more difficult for men have surfaced.

New York is the 3rd government to totally prohibit plastic bags after California and island. As the ban rolls out the Department of Environmental preservation would be to determine the effect the ban has on low-income households. At these current bans, counties and cities would be able to pay the five-cent fee per single-use paper bag, which would take toward the states Environmental security Fund and the organization of reusable bags.

In August 2014, California turned into the first government to enact legislation enforcing the broad ban on single-use plastic bags In large retail shops. This statement also involved The 10-cent minimum cost for recycled paper bags, reusable plastic bags, and compostable bags in specific locations. This prohibition was made to take effect on July 1, 2015, but the vote pushed the publication onto the vote in the November 2016 election. Proposition 67 returned with 52% of the vote, implying that plastic bag ban approved by the assembly remains the force. A careful statement of the law can be seen below. Voters also rejected the second approach, Proposition 65, which suggested to make an environmental fund with incomes from the 10-cent request for alternative bags.

Timeline of Plastic Bag Banning

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Melissa Berman
Melissa Berman

Written by Melissa Berman

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Graduate Student at Hofstra University pursuing a Master’s in Entertainment Journalism. BA ’20 Journalism from Hofstra University.

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