New York Expands Plastic Bag Recycling
New York became the second state to regulate plastic bag recycling with the passage of legislation requiring grocers and retailers throughout the state that provide bags to offer recycling bins.
Previously, New York City was the only community in the Empire State to require plastic bag recycling. The state-wide law will have many of the same qualifications, such as the size of affected businesses and what types of bags are accepted.
Because California also recently passed a state-wide plastic bag recycling program, the two states with the largest population on each coast now have landfill alternatives for plastic bags.
This is significant because the light weight of plastic bags allows them to blow out of landfills and into natural bodies of water, where they are often mistaken for food by aquatic animals.
The plastic bag collection bins will be available in New York stores starting January 1, 2009.
As of June 17th 2011 we have upgraded our comment system to use Facebook comments.
The below comments are closed and are listed for historical purposes.
the good doctor
posted on December 16th, 2008 at 9:08 am
that’s good news, but i think the bigger emphasis must be on reducing rather than reusing. convincing people to use their own bags is one of the more accessible ways to initiate people into caring for the environment. here in china, they passed a law this year that charges 2 mao (that’s like 5 cents) for every bag they use at a store or restaurant. it has immediately made a difference in people’s shopping habits.
i think every city in america should be doing both, charging for the bags at the point of purchase in order to reduce their number while at the same time recycling them after the fact.
clear perspective
posted on December 30th, 2008 at 6:11 am
For more information go to http://www.thetruthaboutplasticbags.com
steve
posted on December 30th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
In Germany, they have charged 15 euro cents for plastic bags for years now. Nobody seems to have a problem with it, and you see way less plastic bags roaming the streets.
Just A. Comment
posted on January 3rd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
what is difference between nyc’s and nys’s laws. article make mention there are differences but don’t give side by side detail.
Trey Granger
posted on January 5th, 2009 at 9:38 am
There aren’t really any major differences between the two laws. Think of New York City as a pilot program to test the effectiveness and commitment of consumers.
Kit Parks
posted on January 12th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Recycling the typical plastic grocery bag costs far more than the cost of a new bag. The plastic bag manufacturers, in an effort to save their $4 billion/year industry have launched a full scale attack on any municipality that tries to reduce plastic bag usage. Unfortunately they are usually successful (see Hawaii, Washington and California, just for starters). Recycling these plastic bags is a sham financially, and most municipalities won’t take them because they gum up the machinery. Nonetheless, whenever a tax or ban raises it’s head, you can be sure that the American Chemical Council will spend a fortune defeating it, and will try to convince politicians that efforts to recycle will work, thus saving their industry.
A bag tax, because it costs people money, actually changes behavior, plus when someone does forget a bag, the plastic bag is still an option. Outright bans of bags lead to an increased use of paper bags, which ironically are more harmful to the environment (and are more costly and can thus raise consumer prices).
Recycling Plastic Bags… Because Sometimes You Forget the Reusable Ones : Sustainablog
posted on July 13th, 2009 at 9:17 am
[...] them back to the store: Many stores offer plastic bag recycling bins… California, New York, and now Delaware, ever have laws on the books requiring this service.The American Chemistry [...]