You’ll soon be charged for every plastic bag you use at the grocery store.
A New York City Council committee has voted to recommend a 5 cent fee, and city council voted Thursday to pass it — in a 28-20 vote. It’s a proposed law that has been talked about for more than two years, giving people a financial incentive to switch over to reusable bags at grocery stores.
Under the law, grocery stores could charge at least 5 cents for each plastic or paper carryout bag for customers who don’t bring their own reusable bags.
Supporters of the law said it’s all about making New York cleaner and protecting the environment. They say it has worked well in many other cities and countries.
Critics, though, worry about both the financial and logistical impact of the move.
There are exemptions in the law, including bags for medications at pharmacies, bags for prepared foods from restaurants and items purchased with food stamps.
As part of the law, the city is required to do outreach to stores and residents, with an emphasis on low-income areas. Stores that don’t comply can be fined up to $500.
Also, stores will be allowed to give out free reusable bags for two weeks every April.
The bill goes into effect Oct. 1.
(AP)
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13 Responses
I guess we will all start buying everything with food stamps. Also does this apply to boxes? JUST SAYING!!!!!!
Glad I left city this what they mean by knikle and diming you
how are they going to enforce it, I wonder? They will penalize stores $100 or more if they forgot to charge 5 cents?
I don’t see the problem. I will ask my grocer to put everything in boxes.
Knikle?
good of the environment.
So the bill goes into effect in October but the stores are forbidden from giving out reusable bags until April. That makes a lot of sense.
Be glad that they are not charging for the printed recept
And what will the corrupt City Council do with this tax money? Build gender neutral bathrooms for the LGBT community?
But isn’t the idea of the Democratic Party nationally to support environmental issues by hurting only the poor (similar to the war on coal which raises electric rates and bankrupts miners, or their opposition to effective insecticides which leads to increased malaria and now zika, worldwide, or opposing modern family methods leading to starvation in many countries). At least the Democrats are being consistent.
typo: “opposing modern farming methods leading to starvation”
How about a fine for the stores that give bags that break the minute you leave the store? I don’t see how they can expect you to bring back those bags.
I’m think going to go with that knikle guy.
This is crazy. This doesn’t help the environment. Plastic grocery bags have negligible impact on total amount of plastic thrown out. First get rid of plastic bottles which bigger problem. If we can recycle bottles then we recycle plastic bags.