New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants to prohibit single-use plastic bags in stores, restaurant, or any point of sale across the state. His primary objective is to encourage and promote clean, safe, and environmentally-friendly economies statewide.
On Monday, Gov. Cuomo introduced a program bill to achieve his objective. The governor’s decision to ban sing-use plastic bags comes after the release of the New York State Plastic Bags Task Force.
In January, the task force reported that plastic bags present several problems:
- Derived from fossil fuels
- A source of litter on land and in waterways
- A source of avoidable excess packaging waste used for mere minutes
- Harmful to marine habitats and wildlife
- Problematic, creating tangles and jams in recycling and waste water processing equipment
- Costly for municipalities and recycling centers in terms of time and money to manage
New York spends millions of dollars to dispose/fix problems caused by plastic bags
The task force noted that recyclable handling recovery facilities (RHRFs) in New York spends between $300,000 and $1 million a year for cleaning, employee time, fixing jams and wear on machinery parts due to plastic bags.
