Let's talk plastic : New York plastic bag ban

Beginning March 1st 2020, New York implemented a state-wide ban on distribution of plastic bags. Considering that the state produces an embarrassing 23 billion tonnes of plastic waste each year, I see that as an absolute win.

Plastic is the most widely manufactured ‘consumer good’ today. Ironically, it is also the most banned. It all started with Bangladesh in 2002, and today 127 countries have some sort of legislation to curb the use of plastic. In the United States, New York is only the third state in the country to impose a ban on plastic bags, after California and Hawaii. Ten other states have a pilot plastic ban in place while several cities impose taxes on single-use plastic bags. However, the severity and execution vary extensively. With almost no advertising and very little preparation or infrastructure in place, the rule has created confusion among both consumers and business owners. Extensively-researched, thought provoking questions such as the following have surfaced all over social media.

The simple answer is yes, it IS bad for the environment. Just in New York City, the Department of Sanitation collects over 1700 tonnes of single-use plastic bags every week and spends $12.5 million to dispose of them. There are others who think that paper bags are better for the environment while the reality is that the carbon footprint of paper bags is almost double that of plastic bags. So if plastic bags are bad, and paper bags are worse, what should you do? CARRY A REUSABLE BAG. Keep one in your coat pockets, your handbag, your work bag, your bike bag, your car or next to the front door. Tell your fancy new phone to remind you to carry a bag before you step out.

Here are some of the bags that we liked :

1. BAGGU Standard Reusable Shopping Bag
2. BagPodz Reusable Shopping Bags
3. Planet E Reusable Grocery Shopping Bags

Here are a few other things that you can do :

1. Take a pledge to reduce your plastic waste and the department of sanitation will send you a free reusable bag made out of recycled plastic. We do not know if it will arrive packed in plastic. Let us know if you find out.
2. Understand that while NYC Zero Waste is taking tremendous efforts to reduce waste, they do not have a great ad campaign or social media presence. They are a good resource though, so it’s worth taking time to look at their facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/NYCzerowaste/
3. Refilling stations and reusable packaging are more common than you would think. Find a store near you that has refilling stations here. Loop also offers some of the most common brands in waste-free packaging.

While some expect that there will be no plastic bags seen anywhere ever again after Sunday, the New York City Museum of Plastic Bags is not yet ready to open yet.

There are a considerable number of exceptions to the rule: plastic bags can still be sold with uncooked meat, produce and prescriptions, and there are no penalties for possessing plastic bags (to the temporary relief of dog and cat owners). The ban will not be aggressively enforced immediately, although consistently non-compliant retailers will be fined beginning April 2020.

Coming to the big question, how effective are plastic bag bans? The short answer would be - it’s too soon to tell. Bans have been in the picture for less than 20 years and governments are still figuring out the best ways to enforce them. That being said, 40% of the plastic produced is single-use. This includes plastic cutlery, grocery bags, milk bottles and cling wrap. Most of this is not recycled, ends up in the ocean and damages ecosystems. Needless to say, banning single use plastic is a good thing.