New York bans plastic bags, second U.S. state to do so
New York State is the fourth most populous in the U.S.
New York State will soon become the second U.S. state to impose a ban on plastic bags, after a vote by state legislators this week, with a view not only toward cutting down on the long-lived materials, but also on the greenhouse gases used to manufacture them.
The New York Times reports the ban was proposed a year ago by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, and will take effect in March 2020.
The Times says the plan will have a few exemptions, however, such as restaurant food takeout bags and wraps for supermarket deli or meat products. There will also be a measure to allow the state's counties to opt in to a five-cent fee on paper bags, with the money raised going to environmental protection.
With the ban, New York joins California in imposing a statewide ban (though the Times says Hawaii also has a de facto state-wide ban in practice, as they are prohibited by the island state's counties individually). Together, the two states, the first and fourth most populous in the U.S., are home to almost one in five Americans.
In Canada, there has been some progress in recent years toward similar bans, though only at the municipal level. Montreal and Victoria have bans in place, Halifax is creeping closer to having a similar bylaw by the end of 2019, according to CBC News, and other municipalities are considering it as well.
