Starting March 1st New York State will implement a “ban” on single use plastic bags in an effort to reduce plastic waste. Stores can choose to have paper bags available for a fee or sell reuseable bags. Since Suffolk County has already had a 5 cent fee for plastic bags- many people are used to bringing their own bags with them when they shop but if you’re like me- I forget 8/10 times.
There are some exceptions to the “bag ban” and here they are (according to NYS website)
- Used solely to contain or wrap uncooked meat, fish, seafood, poultry, or other unwrapped food, flower, or plant item;
- Used by a customer solely to package items from bulk containers, including fruits, vegetables, grains, candy, small hardware items (such as nuts, bolts, and screws), live fish, or live insects;
- Used solely to contain food sliced or prepared to order;
- Used solely to contain a newspaper for delivery to a subscriber;
- Sold in bulk quantities to a consumer at the point of sale that were specifically prepackaged in a manner to allow for bulk sale (for example, quantities of bags prepackaged in individual pre-sealed boxes) or prepackaged in individual boxes or containers for sale to a customer;
- Sold as a trash bag;
- Sold as a food storage bag, such as those in snack, sandwich, quart, and gallon sizes;
- Used as a garment bag, such as those used by a dry cleaner or laundry service;
- Provided by a restaurant, tavern, or similar food service establishment, as defined in the state sanitary code, to carry out or deliver food;
- Provided by a pharmacy to carry prescription drugs;
The ban does not just include grocery stores but ALL stores so remember to BYOBag unless you want to stick the new bras you just bought in your purse :p