PLASTIC BAG RECYCLING

A.8810-C (Sweeney, et al.)*
S.6253 (Marcellino)

Summary
This bill would require retailers to provide a location on premises to facilitate the recycling of plastic bags and offer consumers the option of purchasing reusable bags.  Further, this bill would require manufacturers to provide for the collection, transport and recycling of plastic bags upon the retailer’s request.  All fines collected from non-compliance would be deposited into the Environmental Protection Fund.

Explanation
According to the Wall Street Journal, more than 100 billion plastic shopping bags are consumed annually in the United States.  These bags either end up as litter or take up valuable space in landfills.  These bags do not biodegrade; rather they break down into smaller bits that then contaminate soils and waterways, often harming birds and marine species.  In addition, the production of these plastic bags requires vast volumes of petroleum—over 12 million barrels of oil every year.

Many countries across the globe have already taken major steps to phase out/eliminate plastic bag use, including Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, South Africa and Taiwan.  This bill would encourage the recycling of plastic bags, while at the same time promoting the use of reusable bags.  The ultimate outcome—less single-use bags in our landfills and littering the biosphere—would benefit all New Yorkers.

*Not currently same as.

Environmental Advocates of New York supports this bill.