New York retailers can no longer distribute plastic bags after a state-wide ban went into effect Sunday.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the ban of single-use plastic bags last year in an effort to protect wildlife and reduce pollution, Cuomo’s website states. More than 23 billion single-use plastic bags are used annually in New York state, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

State officials will not start penalizing businesses that use plastic bags until April 1. Come April, businesses that violate the law will be fined $250 after the second offense and then $500 after any further violations.

In anticipation of the ban, many local businesses have already moved away from plastic bags and have begun distributing reusable bags or charging customers for paper.

“I don’t think we need all the plastic,” said Nicole Martin, a manager for Dazzle Boutique and Gifts, a downtown Syracuse retailer. “The least we can do is carry lots of other sustainable goods.”

Wendy Lee, the owner and manager of Paola Kay Gift Shop in downtown Syracuse, said the ban is an “easy and effective solution.”

Some Syracuse retailers view the ban as a financial burden.

Kevin Blair, manager of ACE Village Hardware and Gift Shoppe, began buying cloth bags to sell in place of plastic carry-outs. He sells the bags for 99 cents, but each one costs about $1.27, he said.

Blair said he doesn’t think the ban will have much of an impact on the environment.

“There’s a lot of people that use plastic carryout bags as a trash bag,” Blair said. “And now they’re going to go out and buy plastic bags to put their trash in instead of getting them free when they make a purchase.”

After the ban in California, the decrease in plastic carryout bags was offset by a large increase in trash bag purchases, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.

California is the only other state to have fully banned single-use plastic bags. Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Hawaii and Vermont have also all passed legislation involving the reduction of single-use plastics.

Laura Markley, a Ph.D. student leading research at SU on microplastics in freshwater systems, doesn’t think plastic can be fully eliminated.

“Everyone can do their part,” she said. “But ultimately the big changes have to happen from the big companies that are making all the plastic products, and they need to be held accountable.”

Published on March 1, 2020 at 11:24 pm

Contact Ashley: aeclemen@syr.edu