Cuomo Introduces Bill To Ban Plastic Bags In New York

Right after Earth Day, Governor Andrew Cuomo is pushing to ban single-use plastic bags in New York. "Just use a Shoprite bag" is a phrase we may no longer use in the Hudson Valley,

On Monday, April 23, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced a bill to ban plastic bags in New York. The bill, called the Plastic Bag Ban Bill, is aiming to ban the use of all single-use plastic carryout bags in the state. The bill exempts garment bags, trash bags and any bags used to wrap or contain certain foods. If passed, it will go into effect January 1, 2019.

According to a press release from the Governor's office, this follows suit with their January plastic bag task force. The task force went over the environmental impact of plastic bags and proposed actions to reduce their use.

As stated in the release, eliminating plastic bags will save $12.5 million in waste removal in New York City alone. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 80% of ocean pollution is from land use, including plastic bags.

If you think about it, you get a plastic bag almost every time you are at a grocery store, getting food to go, grabbing something at a gas station, or buying something anywhere. And we all have that one drawer or cabinet that holds the bag of plastic bags.