Since the prohibition of New York on the distribution of plastic bags for one -time use came into force five years ago, Francisco Marte, who owns five bodegas in the Bronx with his brothers, has been in conflict about how they switch from their use.
In three of his stores, he stopped handing out plastic bags all the way out of handing out a fee of 25 cents for a reusable bag, which are more expensive for him to stock up. But in the other two bodegas, in neighborhoods with low incomes, Mr. Marte plastic bags out to prevent the costs of a more expensive bag of reusing to be passed on to residents. Yet he warns them that he will soon be completely out of plastic.
Some customers started to take their own bags with him, he said, but it is “little by little”.
The prohibition of the state of New York in 2020 was part of an attempt to curb litter and minimize the greenhouse emissions by minimizing the production of plastic bag. Mr. Marte, who is also president of the Bodega and Small Business Group in New York, said that compliance with the ban was mixed between the more than 2,000 members of the group, including corner shops, restaurants, hairdressing stores and beauty salons. Many entrepreneurs no longer want to charge their customers by handing out the relatively expensive reusable bags. Yet the number of plastic bags in circulation is “much reduced,” he said.
When the prohibition was announced, government officials said that New Yorkers used 23 billion plastic bags every year, 85 percent of which ended up in landfills, recycling machines, waterways and streets. Although the State has not collected extensive data about how many fewer plastic bags have been used since the ban came into effect, a study by the New York City Department of Sanitation was that the prevalence of plastic shopping bags in the waste stream fell 68 percent from 2017 to 2023.
The BAG Waste Reduction Act came into force on March 1, 2020 – exactly five years ago – although the Coronavirus Pandemie and a lawsuit of manufacturers of plastic bags had delayed his enforcement for months.
Retailers receive a warning before they are beaten with a fine of $ 250 if they break the law again, and then a fine of $ 500 for each violation.
Despite the penalties, plastic bags are still a common face in the streets of New York City. This is partly because the rule, as it is currently written, contains various exceptions: bags used to pack bulk items, for example, as well as those of pharmacies to wear prescribed medicines, are excluded. Restaurants are also exempt.
Below a visual tour over all places that plastic bags still appear in the city appears.
