The City Council passed the Plastic Bag Bill sponsored by Council members Margaret Chin and Brad Lander in a vote of 28-20 on May 5, 2016.
The bill will require retail and grocery stores to charge no less than 5 cents for plastic and other bags. The proposed charge will be retained by the store to cover the cost of providing bags and customers who bring their own bags will not be charged. The legislation also includes robust informational outreach components and requires giveaways of reusable, recyclable bags in local communities.
The bill includes exemptions for take-out or delivery orders from restaurants, produce, and prescription medications. In addition, stores must waive the charge for providing paper or plastic bags for transactions where the customer is using food stamps to avoid additional barriers to food security. Emergency food providers, such as food pantries, would be exempt from the charge.
New York City pays an estimated $12.5 million to transport 91,000 tons of plastic bags and paper carryout bags to landfills in other states each year. New Yorkers use 9.37 billion carryout bags per year, the vast majority of which are not recycled. Plastic bags get stuck in storm drains, exacerbating flooding and sewage discharges into waterways, and are the fourth most commonly found type of litter on U.S. beaches.
Photo credit: True activist
