Summary

New York's plastic bag ban, implemented in March 2020, is widely regarded as a positive step for the environment. By prohibiting single-use plastic bags, the ban aims to reduce plastic waste, pollution, and harm to wildlife. Many residents support the change, noting its benefits for sustainability. The law encourages the use of reusable bags, promoting eco-friendly habits in the community and contributing to a healthier planet. Overall, the ban represents a significant move toward more sustainable practices in New York.

Next time you go to the supermarket, be sure to grab your stylish new tote! Reusable tote bags and biodegradable shopping bags have taken over the town as efforts to push sustainability and eco-friendly alternatives to New Yorkers have spurred cultural change. New York State’s law, banning plastic bags took place on March 1st in 2020, however, it wasn’t until October 19, 2020  (Plastic Bag Ban and Paper Bag Fee · NYC311, n.d.) when the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation began to enforce the law. The New York Plastic Bag Task Force says New Yorker’s currently use 23 billion plastic bags each year (NYS Plastic Bag Task Force, 2017); many of which end up filling up landfills, disturbing natural wildlife, and ending up in our trees and water. ”This is the first really big push back against disposable culture,” said Peter Iwanowicz, a longtime environmental official and advocate, and a member of the state’s new Climate Action Council (Barnard, 2020).

Previous attempts to enforce statewide law in the fight of single use plastics had failed; in 2016 , the New York City Council had voted to approve a 5-cent plastic shopping bag fee, however, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo had rebuked the effort to set the 5-cent bag fee into action just a day before the law was supposed to be enacted as Governor Andrew Cuomo claimed the city law was “deeply flawed” because it allowed merchants to keep the 5-cent fee as profit (McKinley, 2017) This framed the tax on bags as a negative solution. Nevertheless, in the end Mr. Cuomo seemed to side with that argument, noting that the New York City Council had only narrowly passed the bill, and that their state counterparts had overwhelmingly voted to impose a moratorium on it (McKinely, 2017) suggesting that he has had more time to think about the policies of the bill and considers it to be a positive addition to the law. The ban on plastic bags has proven to show a significant decline in plastic bag use, coming in as high as the state of California’s 72% drop in single use plastic bag usage (Swango, 2024). The ban proves itself to be successful as local New Yorker’s admit it was a” good idea” in a short street interview. According to 65 year old Sylvie Kande, a Harlem resident (Barnard, 2020) the ban gets a thumbs up from the locals! It should be noted that the ban imposes a modest fee of 5 cents for paper bags on customers who forget to bring their reusable bags, while exempting individuals utilizing Food Stamps or other public assistance programs, thereby demonstrating flexibility and consideration for marginalized populations.

The movement to ban plastic bags is not confined to the United States; numerous countries have adopted similar measures, yielding positive outcomes. Other countries have found positive results in implementing the ban. The ban in France has aimed to reduce an estimated five billion plastic grocery bags, and 12 billion produce bags to which was a success. In addition, it was reported that in 2016 the French Environment Minister estimated more than 3,000 jobs would result from production of a greener alternative to traditional, single-use grocery bags (Earth Day Network, 2018) The plastic bag ban has not only reduced the amount of plastic pollution in France but has also created more job opportunities for locals.  Another instance of the ban’s success was carried out in Ireland as the first country to place a significant tax on plastic bags. As a result, the country saw a significant impact almost instantly, with plastic bag consumption dropping by 94%, making the practice of using plastic bags unacceptable by the end of the year. Having inspired other countries to address this issue, Ireland is one of the leading countries tackling plastic bag consumption (Earth Day Network, 2018). The plastic bag ban has proven itself to be an effective plan in tackling the single-use plastic bags we know today as environmental poison in not only NYC but in other countries that face the same social and environmental issues. 

With all things considered, plastic bags have proven to be convenient short term but as a growing and bustling City, keeping up to date with modern problems and technology, requires modern solutions. It is imperative to move away from the reliance of harmful plastic bags and to embrace a future characterized by newer and cleaner practices!

REFERENCES

Donovan, L. (2022, February 10). Plastic Bags Still Ubiquitous in NYC Shops, Months After Enforcement of Ban Began. City Limits. https://citylimits.org/2022/02/10/plastic-bags-still-ubiquitous-in-nyc-shops-months-after-enforcement-of-ban-began/

Get Ready, New York: The Plastic Bag Ban Is Starting. (2020, March 2). New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/28/nyregion/new-york-state-ban-plastic-bags.html

Governor Cuomo Announces COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted as 70% of Adult New Yorkers Have Received First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine. (n.d.). Www.governor.ny.gov. https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-covid-19-restrictions-lifted-70-adult-new-yorkers-have-received-first

How N.Y. Has Won From Saying Bye-Bye to Plastic Bags – Scenic Hudson. (2024, April 2). Scenic Hudson. https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/plastic-bag-ban/
Lessons from the Countries Fighting to Kick the Plastic Bag Addiction. (2018, April 20). Earth Day. https://www.earthday.org/lessons-from-the-countries-fighting-to-kick-the-plastic-bag-addiction/

Meiffren-Swango, C. (2024, February 9). Good news: Bag bans are reducing billions of single-use plastic bags. Environment America. https://environmentamerica.org/articles/good-news-bag-bans-are-reducing-billions-of-single-use-plastic-bags/