New York State, including New York City, will begin its plastic-bag ban on March 1, 2020. All businesses required to collect state sales taxes, including grocery and retail stores, won’t be able to give out plastic bags beginning March 1. Certain exemptions apply to the plastic ban.
Many retailers are expected to replace plastic bags with paper bags, since the law gives stores the option to charge 5 cents for a paper bag. The expectation is that retailers will provide reusable bags to consumers and that customers will adopt regular use of reusable bags for their purchases. However, retailers will still accept plastic bags for recycling, even if they cannot offer them to customers.
What are the exemptions?
restaurants that carry out or deliver food
bags for uncooked meat or seafood
bags for newspapers
garment bags for dry-cleaning
pharmacy bags for prescription drugs
bags used for bulk sale itemsAccording to government information, 23 billion plastic bags are used in the state each year. Retailers found violating the plastic bag ban will receive one warning and the next violation will receive a $250 fine.