New York State to ban single-use plastic bags

New York Governor Cuomo on April 22, 2019 Signed Legislation Banning Single-Use Plastic Bags in New York starting in March 2020. The legislation “... bans the provision of single-use, plastic carryout bags at any point of sale, and provides DEC exclusive jurisdiction over all matters related to plastic bags … garment bags, trash bags and any bags used to wrap or contain certain foods, such as fruits and sliced meats are exempt from the ban. Counties or cities will also be permitted to charge a five cent fee for single-use paper bags. Three cents from the fee will go to the Environmental Protection Fund, while the other two cents will go to the locality to pay for distribution of reusable bags. New York joins California and Hawaii as the only states where single-use plastic bags are banned …”