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Who cares
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Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to consumer protection
- Referred to consumer protection
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring retail businesses to restrict the use of non-compostable plastic bags
Purpose
Requires retail businesses to restrict the use of non-compostable plastic bags.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: Amends the general business law by adding new section 398-e. Section 398-e provides that all retail business will restrict the use of noncompostable plastic bags by 50% by 2012 and by 2014 all non-compostable plastic bags will be banned. Section 398-e also provides that by January 1, 2015 retail stores can use recyclable paper bags, compostable bags and/or reusable bags as checkout bags. Section 399-e also provides definitions. Section 2: Effective Date.
Existing law
None.
Justification
Americans use about 30 billion plastic bags per year. In the United States about 80% of plastic bags end up in landfills. The rest end up as litter. It is a common occurrence to find plastic bags on the side of the road or in the branches of trees. Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups. In addition, plastic bags are not regularly recycled. In fact, only 0.6% of plastic bags are recycled in the United States. Furthermore, plastic bags are made from oil which is a nonrenewable resource. The environmental impact of plastic bags is a reason to seek eco-friendly alternatives. It is time for New York to begin to phase out the use of plastic bags in favor of alternatives that are compostable or reusable.
Legislative history
2007-2008 -Rules
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.