Lawmakers Propose Plastic Bag Ban

March 19th, 2018

Three Democratic lawmakers have introduced a bill that would address plastic bag pollution.

The bill, which is sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D- Suffolk County) and state Senator Liz Krueger (D – Manhattan) would ban plastic carryout bags and impose a fee of between 10 and 25 cents on paper and reusable bags, with the revenue going into the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.

In January, the state’s Plastic Bag Task Force released a report which included a series of recommendations that would address plastic bag litter; this bill mirrors one of the task force’s proposals. The task force was formed in 2017 after Gov. Cuomo approved legislation that blocked a New York City law would have charged consumers a 5-cent fee for single-use plastic bags.