Plastic Bag Bans
Starting March 1, 2020, New York State’s ban on single-use plastic bags goes into effect. To date, eight states have such a ban. New York joins California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and Vermont.
In addition to state level bans, cities such as Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Seattle, WA; Boulder, CO; Portland, ME; as well as Montgomery County, MD and Washington, D.C. have plastic bag bans and/or fees.
With increasing public demand for action on plastic pollution, other states and cities might follow suit with similar legislation. Businesses should take note and prepare.
- New York businesses, here’s information to help you comply with the law.
- Note, stores will still be required to collect plastic bags and other film plastics from consumers for recycling.
- Here is some useful information about the New York law.
Plastic Bag Facts
- Worldwide: an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used each year. That’s about 1 million per minute!
- In the US: 100 billion plastic bags are used each year, according to one study.
- In New York City: residents use more than 10 billion single-use carryout bags every year, costing the City more than $12 million annually in disposal costs, according to the NYC Department of Sanitation.
- On average only 1 in 200 plastic bags are recycled.
See this analysis of the impact of single-use plastic bags to learn more.
Are Plastic Bags Recyclable?
Plastic bags and films are recyclable, but in many locations, they CANNOT be placed in recycling bins because the loose bags tend to get caught in sorting machines at recycling facilities, jamming and damaging the equipment. Learn what you can do.
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