New York: New York State lawmakers are close to enacting a sweeping ban on single-use plastic bags from retail sales in an effort to curb pollution and changing a way of life for millions of New Yorkers. The measure was initially proposed by Governor Andrew M Cuomo last year, but he failed to get it passed by the then-Republican-controlled state Senate.
It would be the second statewide ban, after California, which banned bags in 2016. Hawaii also effectively has a ban in place, since all the state’s counties bar such single-use bags, the New York Times reported. New York’s ban, which would begin next March, would forbid stores to provide customers with single-use plastic bags, which are non-biodegradable and have been blamed for everything from causing gruesome wildlife deaths to thwarting recycling efforts. The ban, expected to be part of the state’s budget bills that are slated to be passed by Monday, would outlaw the use of single-use plastic bags at most stores, but would allow certain
industries to continue using them.
