Enforcement of New York plastic bag ban to start back up Monday

The New York plastic bag ban will officially be back in effect and enforced starting Monday, according to officials.

News 12 Staff

Oct 18, 2020, 2:27 PM

Updated 1,454 days ago

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The New York plastic bag ban will officially be back in effect and enforced starting Monday, according to officials.
The ban was originally set to take effect in March, but rules weren't enforced due to an ongoing lawsuit.
The Department of Environmental Conservation says it plans to eliminate pollution caused by plastic bags now that the law is back in place.
The DEC estimates that New York residents use around 23 billion plastic bags every year, many of which end up in landfills and waterways.
While some residents say that the reusable bags are better for the environment, others say that the ban will hurt some households who count on every cent.
"People who can't afford garbage bags in home, they reuse these bags for other things," says Salih Rahnan of Hunts Point. "The ban is not going to help these kind of communities, it's just going to be hurtful."
Plastic trash bags will continue to be sold. Bags used to protect newspapers that are delivered, uncooked meat, fish and plants will also continue to be sold.